Harding – Christmas has come early for an elderly woman living in the small village of Xhamini in a mountainous area outside Harding in KwaZulu-Natal.
Gogo Bathini Chala for many years shared a rundown rondavel mud house with her five grandchildren, including two young men aged 19 and 20. There was no electricity, no running water, no windows and the roof leaked every time it rained.
On Monday, Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi returned to the village to make good on her promise of building the 74-year-old a house to call a home.
With money donated by herself, departmental staff members and sponsors from the business sector, Chala is now the proud owner of a fully furnished two-roomed house.
As the Minister handed over the keys to the house, Chala was overjoyed as she sang songs in her mother tongue, IsiXhosa.
“This is the best Christmas gift. I will never forget this…,” Chala told SAnews.
“It was scary sleeping in the rondavel because there were cracks. I never thought I would enjoy privacy … this is unbelievable and the new house has restored my dignity.”
The elderly woman said she never dreamed someone who was not her own family would build her a house, but the Minister had proved her wrong.
Her grandson, Luyanda Chala, said it had been tough living in the rondavel. The 18-year-old is in Grade 11 and attends Mdlangathi High School.
“It was very tough. All of us were sleeping on the floor and when it rains, we would not sleep because the floor would be wet. Whenever my grandmother or sisters wanted to bath, together with my brother, we would have no option but to go out.
“Today I will be sharing a room in the new house with my brother and for the first time our family also owns a television set,” he said excitedly.
Next to the new house, there is a 10 000 plastic water tank.
Minister Muthambi visited the village in October as part of her Imbizo outreach programme to educate residents about the country’s digital migration.
Ahead of the Imbizo, she visited various households and that was when she was touched by the poor living conditions of Chala and her family.
“We were touched by their living conditions. I was so emotional to discover that a senior citizen was sharing a cracked mud house with five grandchildren with no windows and a leaking roof.
“We then decided to dig deep into our own pockets. The house was fully funded by individuals … the house was built through a partnership with the business sector, officials from my department took money from their salaries, myself included. We also approached other sponsors to assist with [furnishing the house].
“We built this house not to put a roof over her head, but to restore her dignity…with this house, Chala will now have privacy.”
She said all should emulate the late former President Nelson Mandela, who emphasised the spirit of giving back to the community and touching the lives of those who are less fortunate.
The Minister urged South Africans to work as a collective, the private sector included, in changing the lives of people.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development Ruth Bhengu, who sourced the local engineer to design the house, said: “We are a caring government and we will never rest until the lives of our people are improved.”
Umuziwabantu Mayor Dixie Nciki welcomed the collective efforts, led by Minister Muthambi, to build the house for the Chala family. - SAnews.gov.za
