A visibly emotional Maziz’andile Nyathela was among five residents who received keys to their new houses in Gugulethu, nearby Kwakhikhi area, last Friday, March 1.
The 72-year-old has been on the housing database for nearly two decades and had been yearning for a place to call home so that his children could have a better place to stay.
The housing project started 14 years ago and was earmarked to deliver 1400 homes but it had been delayed by both the pandemic and extortionists who threatened construction companies and demanded protection fees.
Mayoral committee member for human settlements, Carl Pophaim, assured the community of Gugulethu that extra security measures have been implemented in ensuring that the project faces no more interruptions.
He said last November they were able to appoint a builder and they are now officially re-launching the project.
He said since he had been appointed six months ago he had been pushing for the project to kick off and wanted to ensure that it was completed in the next 25 months.
“I have allocated an additional R45 million for security measures at our volatile sites including this one.
“We have blacklisted companies that work with mafias or the underworld. We are not going to allow a minority of criminals to distract the City in building a city of hope.
“We have just completed and handed over five houses and we are hoping that next week we will hand over another five.
“We are looking to spend R78 million on this project outside of security. We cannot come here for promises but we must come here to deliver.
“Today is not about just handing out houses but rectifying the injustice of the apartheid. It is about restoring our people’s dignity that should have been done a long time ago,” said Mr Pophaim.
Mr Nyathela said for years he had been living with his cousin while his six children were scattered all over the place because he did not have his own place to call home.
“I have no words to express how I feel about it. In 2014 I was promised a house and I did not get it but now I’m over the moon with joy,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Ntombizandile Mphatha, said she felt healed when she received her home’s keys.
The 67-year-old said she registered for housing in 1993 and all these years she had been waiting patiently.
When she signed housing documents in 2017 she had hopes of getting her home but these were dashed when nothing happened after five years.
She said now she is happy because she will die knowing that she lives with her children in a family home.
