Winter seasons will never be the same for 82 year old, as she receives her new house
Published: May 09, 2023<< BACK TO NEWS
It was tears of joy for residents of Raymond Mhlaba area in Kwazakhele in Nelson Mandela Bay when they received government subsidised houses from the Eastern Cape Provincial Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi on Tuesday, 9 May 2023.
MEC Lusithi was
accompanied by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Member of the Mayoral
Committee (MMC) for Human Settlement, Tukela Zumani.
Predominantly elderly
women, child headed families and disabled persons formed part of the 35
beneficiaries that received houses.
The residents of Raymond
Mhlaba benefitted from a government intervention to help change the living conditions
of many destitute families and those living in shacks including elderly and
child-headed households.
The Raymond Mhlaba 49
Housing Project comprises of 49 low-cost housing units that are targeted at
providing decent homes for the community of Raymond Mhlaba in Kwa at a total
cost of R7.2 million. The project forms part of the NMBM’s Housing Programme
and was identified as one of the priority projects in the Metro. Most of the
beneficiaries come from different areas including Soweto-on-Sea and Kwazakhele
surrounding areas. There are already 35 completed houses ready for the
handover.
Receiving her new house,
82-year-old beneficiary, Philda Vaaltyn said, she was grateful to have a house
after so many years. "I would like to thank my neighbors who have always
helped out on rainy days when my shack could not provide shelter. I am in loss
of words to express how I feel. I have waited for this day since 1994. Winter
seasons will never be the same for me now, I have a house I can call home”.
The Department of Human
Settlements is targeting to build 1411 houses in the NMBM during this current
Financial Year, with a budget of R215 million.
MEC Lusithi said: "There
is still a lot of work to be done in changing peoples lives. This is a special
project because it accommodates the vulnerable group, the elderly, children and
the physically challenged. The cooperation of both province and the
Municipality is yielding positive results”.
MMC Zumani said the
acceleration of housing in Nelson Mandela Bay is a result of good cooperation
and working relations of the three spheres of government. "We as all spheres we
understand the urgency of the conditions that our people live under. We are
equally moving with speed to improve their conditions. We also understand that there
is still a lot of work to be done”.
The project was
implemented by four women led contractors who started work last year in
November.
Top stories
