KwaThema – Gogo Cathrine Khumalo (87) is the happiest woman alive.
For the first time in her life she has become a home owner.
This comes after years of applying and waiting her turn to get an RDP house.
Her house was built by a Cape Town company in partnership with the metro.
Gogo says she still cannot believe she is a home owner.
“I had given up on the dream of owning my own house.
“I have spent most of my life living in a shack.
“I worked as a domestic worker.
“The peanuts I was earning were not enough to build even a two-roomed house.
“Today my dream has become a reality.
“I will sleep better at night without worrying about the upcoming heavy winds and rainfalls.
“The house has two bedrooms, a lounge, one bathroom with a toilet, shower and basin, and a kitchen,” she says.
Acting mayor of Ekurhuleni, MMC of Human Settlements Lesiba Mpya, says the house was identified last year during the campaign of taking the caucus to the people.
“This needed urgent construction.
“We could not wait for the roll-out of RDP houses that is under way in the area,” he says.
He says it is important for private companies to partner with the government to help improve the lives of the people.
“We understand it is the responsibility of the government to deliver services.
“There is still a high number of people who are trapped in poverty.
“Working together we will be able to overcome this challenge and improve lives,” he says.
Mpya says they are concerned about beneficiaries of RDP houses who continue to sell their houses for short-term benefits.
“They then move back to the informal settlements and start blocking roads, demanding houses and other services.
“RDP houses are not meant to be sold.
“The should be a home for other generations to come,” he says.
