News / Local
Ex-soldier turns car into house
23 Feb 2014 at 01:55hrs | Views
A FORMER Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) soldier, who was duped of his earnings after having served in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by a contractor who claimed to had been building a house for him, has been living in a car for the past three years.
Sunday News caught up with Mr Farai Nerwande (48) who traded the comfort of his Makokoba family home for a rather unconventional residence, an old royal blue Volkswagen.
Mr Nerwande, popularly known as Fatso in Makokoba, lives in the backyard of Number 492, 8th Street in Makokoba, a house that he says belonged to his late parents. After his tour of duty in the Congo from 1998 to 2001, his peers purchased houses in various suburbs of the city but he has nothing to his name, a situation that forced him to live in a ramshackle VW.
"I served in the ZNA where I went to DRC in 1998. While I was there, I was in contact with someone who said he could build me a house in Bulawayo. I eventually came home and he showed me a house in Emganwini that was almost complete but he turned out to be a fake. I lost a lot of money," Mr Nerwande said.
The man allegedly behind the construction scam, Dr Themba Sibanda, died in 2009 after having duped several home seekers of their money. Before he died, Dr Sibanda was in and out of prison for swindling a number of prospective house owners. After having been swindled, Mr Nerwande said his wife relocated to their Rusape rural home in Manicaland province as they could not stand the pressure of being a tenant when they could have been home owners. He said his wife is an administrator at Rusape General Hospital. Mr Nerwande's return to Zimbabwe from DRC was necessitated by a fire accident in Bolombo where his leg was badly burnt.
"I came home after I was severely burnt during a helicopter accident and had to come home for further treatment which saw me retiring on medical grounds. While I was nursing my wounds, I could not make constant contact with Dr Sibanda over my house and he took advantage of the fact that I was ill. He died without compensating me," he explained.
When he saw that life was taking a downturn, Mr Nerwande decided to lease out his parents' three-roomed home while he stayed in one of the rooms.
"I moved to South Africa where I would occasionally come and see if things were in order as my sister was now in charge of the house. Unfortunately, my sister was misusing the rent money and even wanted to sell the house. I had to step in and came back to Bulawayo," he said.
Upon his arrival, Mr Nerwande decided to live in the vehicle that he bought while serving in DRC.
"I had that golf from the time I was in the army. When I retired from the army it never really worked, so I decided to put my things in there. I sleep in my car, I cook there in the backyard and in essence that is my everything," revealed Mr Nerwande, who said he had been living in the vehicle that is parked in the yard of his Makokoba home since 2010.
A makeshift shed that covers the car is secured by a big black gate to protect him from thieves, who he said were a nuisance in Makokoba.
The DRC veteran, who is a class one journeyman, said people knew little about his life but scorn him for being poor.
"Vanhu vanondiseka kuno kuMakokoba, vanoti ndakakuvarira mahara kuDRC (people say I fought and got injured for nothing in DRC).
They say my peers have mansions and other finer things from the money they made in the Congo while I have nothing at all," he said, before going for a brief smoking break to clear his mind. On his return, he said people had a tendency of throwing litter over the wall into his yard and added that they said a lot of "nonsense" which he never explained.
The ZNA is paying him a monthly pension which he uses together with the $120 rent receives from the house for his survival. Mr Nerwande also revealed that he was a troubled man who had no one to tell his problems.
"I have no one to tell my problems. I get so stranded at times and it is sad that my sister does not help me at all. She has also been contributing to some of my worries," he lamented.
He went on to show our news crew the burns he sustained while on duty in the DRC which he said had not fully healed and had forced him to join a medical aid society so that he gets medical attention.
On his return from the war, he came back with loose teeth which he said fell off and he had to get a fake frontline set.
Some members of the community said Mr Nerwande was disturbed by the war such that he avoided people. They say memories of events in the war still haunted him to this day.
Mr Nerwande says he has two children, a 21-year-old son and a daughter in South Africa. He seeks assistance of any kind from well-wishers.
Sunday News caught up with Mr Farai Nerwande (48) who traded the comfort of his Makokoba family home for a rather unconventional residence, an old royal blue Volkswagen.
Mr Nerwande, popularly known as Fatso in Makokoba, lives in the backyard of Number 492, 8th Street in Makokoba, a house that he says belonged to his late parents. After his tour of duty in the Congo from 1998 to 2001, his peers purchased houses in various suburbs of the city but he has nothing to his name, a situation that forced him to live in a ramshackle VW.
"I served in the ZNA where I went to DRC in 1998. While I was there, I was in contact with someone who said he could build me a house in Bulawayo. I eventually came home and he showed me a house in Emganwini that was almost complete but he turned out to be a fake. I lost a lot of money," Mr Nerwande said.
The man allegedly behind the construction scam, Dr Themba Sibanda, died in 2009 after having duped several home seekers of their money. Before he died, Dr Sibanda was in and out of prison for swindling a number of prospective house owners. After having been swindled, Mr Nerwande said his wife relocated to their Rusape rural home in Manicaland province as they could not stand the pressure of being a tenant when they could have been home owners. He said his wife is an administrator at Rusape General Hospital. Mr Nerwande's return to Zimbabwe from DRC was necessitated by a fire accident in Bolombo where his leg was badly burnt.
"I came home after I was severely burnt during a helicopter accident and had to come home for further treatment which saw me retiring on medical grounds. While I was nursing my wounds, I could not make constant contact with Dr Sibanda over my house and he took advantage of the fact that I was ill. He died without compensating me," he explained.
When he saw that life was taking a downturn, Mr Nerwande decided to lease out his parents' three-roomed home while he stayed in one of the rooms.
"I moved to South Africa where I would occasionally come and see if things were in order as my sister was now in charge of the house. Unfortunately, my sister was misusing the rent money and even wanted to sell the house. I had to step in and came back to Bulawayo," he said.
Upon his arrival, Mr Nerwande decided to live in the vehicle that he bought while serving in DRC.
"I had that golf from the time I was in the army. When I retired from the army it never really worked, so I decided to put my things in there. I sleep in my car, I cook there in the backyard and in essence that is my everything," revealed Mr Nerwande, who said he had been living in the vehicle that is parked in the yard of his Makokoba home since 2010.
The DRC veteran, who is a class one journeyman, said people knew little about his life but scorn him for being poor.
"Vanhu vanondiseka kuno kuMakokoba, vanoti ndakakuvarira mahara kuDRC (people say I fought and got injured for nothing in DRC).
They say my peers have mansions and other finer things from the money they made in the Congo while I have nothing at all," he said, before going for a brief smoking break to clear his mind. On his return, he said people had a tendency of throwing litter over the wall into his yard and added that they said a lot of "nonsense" which he never explained.
The ZNA is paying him a monthly pension which he uses together with the $120 rent receives from the house for his survival. Mr Nerwande also revealed that he was a troubled man who had no one to tell his problems.
"I have no one to tell my problems. I get so stranded at times and it is sad that my sister does not help me at all. She has also been contributing to some of my worries," he lamented.
He went on to show our news crew the burns he sustained while on duty in the DRC which he said had not fully healed and had forced him to join a medical aid society so that he gets medical attention.
On his return from the war, he came back with loose teeth which he said fell off and he had to get a fake frontline set.
Some members of the community said Mr Nerwande was disturbed by the war such that he avoided people. They say memories of events in the war still haunted him to this day.
Mr Nerwande says he has two children, a 21-year-old son and a daughter in South Africa. He seeks assistance of any kind from well-wishers.
Source - Sunday News
