Pretoria – The fortunes of Alison Tembe changed for the better when he was handed the keys to his very own home by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements this week.
Tembe, who lives in Clayville in Ekurhuleni, lost his sight in 2009 after two incidents while living in a shack in Madelakufa.
“The situation was very hard for me in Madelakufa, especially when it was raining. The shack would be filled with water.
“I am grateful that I will now enjoy the sound of the rain without any worries of water dripping through [the roof] and wetting my floor,” the 74-year-old said.
Tembe is one of the physically challenged and elderly beneficiaries of the 200 new and completed RDP houses in Clayville ext 45 in Tembisa.
Another beneficiary, Raisibe Mokgopha, 76, said she was so excited to move in to her new home she felt like a child.
“I am so happy now that I have a place I can call home. I have been waiting for this house for so many years. Finally, I have my home and I’m happy,” said Mokgopha.
Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements MEC Jacob Mamabolo, addressed the beneficiaries, saying government will continue to prioritise vulnerable members of the community when allocating houses.
He urged beneficiaries to protect their homes and not be misled by people who would request money from them as a result of obtaining a house.
“These are your homes given to you by the government. You are not supposed to pay anyone money for these houses. Fully-subsidised government or RDP houses are for free to all qualifying beneficiaries,” MEC Mamabolo said.
The department would return to the area to give beneficiaries their title deeds, documents which the MEC said were valuable and needed to be kept safe.
He warned beneficiaries to refrain from signing papers without understanding their content, particularly when taking credit and using their house as security as they might run the risk of losing it.
MEC Mamabolo also warned children and grandchildren of beneficiaries not to fall for scams or cheap solutions that will leave them homeless. – SAnews.gov.za
