Cape Town – Veteran actor Israel Matseke-Zulu, has opened up about his journey with his medical condition, gangrene, which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs.
Gangrene is a disease defined as the death of tissue caused by an infection that often occurs in the skin from loss of blood supply.
According to TshisaLive, Israel revealed recently that he had no idea, for almost seven years, that he had gangrene, as the condition only worsened last year when he was shooting for Mzansi Magic’s Telenovela Gomora.
“I started to be very ill while I was doing Gomora in 2021. I think I was working with them from March to August. By August I had fully blown pain and couldn’t walk, but originally my illness started six to seven years ago,” the report quoted the 46-year-old actor as saying.
Israel played the villain character of Don Buthelezi, on the popular telenovela. He has been known for his villainous trademark characters that he portrayed exceptionally well on TV productions.
In a statement released by his management agency, last year, he said the growing demands of his job at Gomora made it difficult for him to give his all to the show due to the illness that has rendered him semi-crippled.
“I am currently receiving the best medical treatment and I am in high spirits, having passed what I believe to be the worst stage of my situation,” he said in the issued statement at the time.
He thanked everyone for their kind messages and prayers.
Despite losing his leg, Israel remained confident, saying: “My status, my craft will never be matched by anyone. I’m irreplaceable and irresistible, I’m like one of the icons Nelson Mandela, Lebo Mathosa, Brenda Fassie, Mandoza.”
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Compiled by Odwa Shumi
