WATCH: Struggling family needs new home after years of waiting
“I feel like I have become a burden to my children because they have to spend time ensuring that I have everything I would need even before going to school,”
Kathorus Mail recently received a complaint from a concerned resident from Thokoza about a 52-year-old disabled woman Delisile Zanele Langa, who has been living in unbearable conditions for over 23 years while waiting for her RDP house.
When the MAIL visited the family at Khuthuza hostel in Thokoza, we found that the family of five including Langa, her four girls aged 18, 16, 13 and 11 and her grandchild share a two-room hostel.
They are exposed to dangerous electrical wires, with a leaking roof while some of them sleep on the floor.
We played her a WhatsApp voice message (VN) we had received. In the message, the author named Philile says, “There is a mother who lives at a hostel with her children, she has a condition that affects her spinal cord and legs. She is unable to walk.
“She applied for her house years ago, they kept saying her house will be handed over at Flat fountain and later it was said the house is at Sky City but these houses are already occupied.
“As a person who has health challenges she often has to spend days at the hospital. While she is admitted, boys attempt to get inside her house with intentions to rape them. The only thing she wants is her house and safety for her children.”
Langa burst into tears while listening to the VN, citing that she has been seeking help for a long time and that many people have promised and failed to help her, including social workers, community leaders and members of parliament.
According to Langa, she applied for her RDP house twice in 1998 and 2004 and has been on the waiting list for 23 years.
WATCH: Delisile Zanele Langa says the hostel her family is currently living at does not belong to her hence they need urgent assistance.
It was easy for her to do follow-ups at the time because she could still walk independently.
Her situation has worsened after she encountered health challenges.
According to her, the doctor told her that she has blood clots on her back which were affecting her spinal cord.
She broke her leg while trying to get on her bed before completely losing her ability to walk, she explained.
Langa was fortunate enough to receive a wheelchair but she is unable to use it in the house as it does not fit on the doors.
At the moment she crawls with her hands to navigate around the two rooms, skipping electrical wires while enduring severe pain on her broken right leg.
“When I want to move around the house I use my hands to crawl, I rely on my children to assist me but because of the pain. I prefer sitting in the same position the whole day.
“I feel like I have become a burden to my children because they have to spend time ensuring that I have everything I would need even before going to school,” said Langa.
She had challenges when she had to use the toilet, which is a walking distance of the house. At the moment she uses an old toilet without running water just next door to her house.
“I could not walk to the toilet anymore because walking becomes too painful, I took time to get there as would take breaks while walking,” she said.
“My children have to go get water every day as we use a 25-litre water bucket to flush the toilet next door to us,” said Langa.
This has led the oldest daughter to drop out of school to take care of her.
As a result of her condition, she is often admitted to the hospital for days leaving her girl children alone at the hostel.
Her oldest daughter explained that they fear for their lives and falling victim to sexual violation.
She said criminals attempted to break in three times while her mother was admitted to the hospital.
“I do not remember if it was last year or the year before when a guy we knew came to knock on our door at midnight. I don’t know whether he intended to rape or what because he know that my mother was admitted,” said the daughter.
She said in a separate incident two people attempted to break in, one of them was at the door while the other one was waiting at their bedroom window.
On the third incident, the person attempted to squeeze their hands through the door to switch off the lights before attempting to break in but fortunately, the family was still awake, she added.
Efforts made to help the family
Langa explained that over the years the social workers often visited the family and local ANC and DA councillors promised her that she will be moved to her house.
This was after she was told that her house has been approved but apparently, there were people living there already.
“Many people came here, I shared my story with them, and they took copies of my documents claiming that they will help me. They took pictures and videos but to date, I am still stuck here,” said Langa.
Kathorus MAIL contacted the spokesperson of the CoE Solly Mashabela who said the inquiry will be directed to all relevant departments including the Department of Social Development and the Department of Human Settlement.
