Wheelchair-bound Durban man given a lift as company donates new elevator

Sibusiso Zondi will finally get a permanent taste of freedom after being confined to his South Beach, Durban, flat for two years due to a malfunctioning lift.

This after good Samaritans pledged to fix the elevator.

Zondi, 34, was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement and has left him wheelchair-bound. His life was made even harder in 2011 when the lift to his flat stopped working, rendering Zondi, who lives on the eighth floor, a prisoner in his own home.

His story caught the attention of Johannesburg-based elevator company IFE Elevators after TimesLIVE last month recorded Zondi’s first trip out of the flat since 2017 when a group of emergency personnel carried him down the eight flights of stairs and fulfilled his wish of going to the beach.

IFE CEO Clive Nortman said: "It's something in our industry that we can help with directly. It's just trying to change someone's life. We understand being stuck in a flat for a good part of ten years is not something anyone should go through and that is what hit home. We just want him to be able to experience life again."

Zondi’s mother Zamajali Ngcobo said that when she heard the news, she and her son were overcome with emotion.

"I am overwhelmed with happiness. It's nice to know that something in his life will continue. It's nice to see that people were touched by my son’s story," she said.

Zondi said that she looked forward to seeing her son take back his life.

Nortman said that they would break ground on installing the elevator in mid-September.