The dignity of an Eastern Cape 106-year-old grandmother, Nomakabonwa Nelani, has been restored after receiving a fully furnished house from the Department of Human Settlements.
The centenarian has been staying in a dilapidated shack with her six dependents. Mhakhulu Noma’s challenges are not different from those experienced by many elderly women, especially in rural areas.
It was a dream finally realised and sleepless nights are now a thing of the past for the centenarian. She has been living in this shack for decades.
Her son Zonwabele Ngqokweni says, “We are grateful for this gesture. From now on my mother will have peaceful nights.”
The handover forms part of Women’s Month.
MEC for Human Settlements Nonceba Kontsiwe says, “We decided to come and hand over this structure to her as a way of celebrating and commemorating Women’s Month because there were women that struggled so much for emancipation and liberation of women.”
Plans are in place by the Human Settlements Department to address the 2 million housing backlog across the country and the department is doing away with temporary houses.
Deputy Minister of Human Settlements Pam Tshwete says they want to do away with temporary housing as it is seen to be a waste of money.
“It means we’re taking money to the drain and I’m still fighting that we don’t build temporary houses. They are for emergency cases or when you shift people.”
The department is also confronted with a challenge of houses that are not properly built, that need to be fixed.
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