ANC help Birch Acres couple to renovate house
The couple lived without electricity for 7 years
On July 18, ANC ward 91 members set out to clean the Birch Acres home of an elderly couple who has been living without electricity for seven years.
“We saw the house when we were busy with door-to-door election campaigning and thought that there was no way someone could live in that house, because it was one big hazard,” said the ANC chairperson of ward 91, Roy Mkhonz.
”We went in and met with the owners of the house, Clifford and Audrey du Toit, and explained that we would like to help them to mow the lawn, repaint the house, clean the kitchen and help them with anything that they needed.”
The du Toits, residents of Birch Acres for 30 years, had fortunately paid off their house and could still live in it with the bare minimum of necessities, like electricity.
“I was retrenched twice and it is difficult for a 69-year-old man to get a job; from there things just got worse,” said Clifford.
The ANC members raised funds for paints and cleaning supplies, as well as arranging grocery sponsorships at Birch Acres Super Spar and blankets at PEP Stores.
“Mrs du Toit also did not have a green bar-coded ID and, first thing on Monday afternoon, at noon, she has an appointment at Home Affairs to get a new ID,” said the branch election team coordinator, Enoch Thango.
The members also applied for the indigent scheme run by the government and the couple’s electricity will be turned back on, on Monday, after an electrician has looked at the wiring of the house. Their water bill has also been scrapped.
“We just want to say thank you to the members of ANC ward 91 for their help and hard work,” said the du Toits.
The couple asked that EXPRESS not publish any photographs of their home.
