LEGENDARY former Highlanders defender Alexander Maseko said he was shocked to hear that former Amazulu hardman David Mkandawire is living in destitution on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The former Bosso central defender said as saddening as the situation was, there was little they could do until Mkandawire’s family takes the initiative.

“Only then can we come in and do something because we don’t know the circumstances behind his unfortunate situation,” said Maseko from his base in Johannesburg.

Mkandawire is said to be begging on the streets of Kempton Park suburb and is occasionally seen at the OR Tambo International Airport.

Inquiries yesterday led Chronicle Sport to one Mac Samson in South Africa, who said Mkandawire was his cousin, and was equally shocked to learn that the former no nonsense defender was living in desperation.

“As I speak to you now, I am beginning the process of hunting for him on the streets of Kempton Park. His younger brother is also here in South Africa and also doesn’t know about this sad situation. Once we are able to locate him, we will try to rehabilitate him or even take him back to Zimbabwe,” said Samson.

He indicated that Mkandawire’s mother lives in Norton, just outside Harare.

Another Zimbabwean based in South Africa Tawanda Zimbwa painted a gloomy picture of Mkandawire, saying they once tried to take him to a church shelter where he lived for four months.

Zimbwa said on the day they had arranged for him to get some assistance, Mkandawire disappeared and efforts to trace close family members yielded no results.

Mkandawire left Zimbabwe as part of the national team that took part in the Afro-Asia Games in November 2003 where they won bronze. He remained behind to attend trials at Mohun Bagan Athletic, a team based in Calcutta, India.

He played there for a number of seasons before moving to Mohammedan Sporting, which he captained in the same country.

It is not known when he left India, just as the circumstances that forced him onto the streets of Johannesburg.