By Phumlani Saul

“I WOULD rather live with my goats than be let down by people again.”

This is what Thozamile Dondashe (78) of KwaNobuhle in Uitenhage told DK news.

He said: “I lost my job 15 years ago. In 2007, my wife and three kids left me with a broken heart.

“In 2009, I decided to buy goats with my pension money.”

Thozamile said his RDP house with a shack extension was too big for him alone.

“I was lonely and depressed by all the bad things that have happened in my life. So I decided to have my goats move in to my house.

“People think I’m crazy but they don’t understand that when I’m with my goats, I’m at peace,” he said.

“My friends have also deserted me because wherever I go, I go with my goats. They say they can’t drink with me while I’m sitting with my goats.

“But I tell them to go to hell because no one can separate me from them,” he said.

The madala also spoils his friends. “On pay day, I make sure I buy them a pack of chips, ice-cream and mealies. Then I buy myself beer. But my goats also demand a glass of beer each. They won’t let me drink unless I give them a sip.”