HE HASN’T seen his four fingers since they were chopped off in an industrial accident a year ago.
Believe Makhubela believes if he buried his fingers, his life would return to normal.
I WANT CLOSURE AND I WANT MY FINGERS, HE TOLD THE PEOPLE’S PAPER.
The 26-year-old man from Winterveld, north of Tshwane lost his fingers while working at a company in Rosslyn. His fingers were cut off by a machine he was operating in September last year.
Believe was rushed to hospital, where he spent some time recovering.
But while he was in hospital, a man from the company arrived with a bucket and a form for him to sign.
Believe didn’t want to sign.
He didn’t believe the fingers were in the bucket.
“Show me the fingers before I sign,” he said.
But the man refused.
“I told him he should leave my fingers and go but he left, taking the bucket with him,” Believe said.
“I screamed for him to leave the bucket but he waved the form in front of my nose and said, no signature, no fingers.”
He sent his family to the company to get the fingers but receptionists and security guards apparently told his family to get an affidavit from the police stating that they were his family and give reasons why they were looking for the fingers.
After he had recuperated he went back to work, but was told by guards that he had been fired.
“I spoke to a manager who confirmed that I had been fired,” he said.
“I was angry that I had lost my fingers and was also thrown out like a stranger.”
He said he made peace with losing his job but last month he started having strange dreams about his fingers.
“I was worried someone had sold my fingers for muthi.”
He said he phoned the company but got no answers.
“My family has to perform rituals and we need to bury the fingers.
“I don’t care about the job but I want my fingers.
“My former colleagues told me my fingers were thrown away.
“How do you throw away human parts?”
Daily Sun contacted Praga Technical and asked about the incident.
The woman who answered the phone said she would try to investigate the matter.
“I work here but I don’t know anything about his claim.
“I will ask other managers and we will get back to him with any information that we can get,” she said.
