Becoming a homeowner was only a pipedream for Buyiswa Stuurman from Bongoletu township in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape.
For the first time in her life, Stuurman is now a proud owner of a decent, wheelchair friendly house, as she relies on her wheels to get around.
The deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Raseriti Tau, together with Human Settlements Deputy Minister Zou Kota-Fredericks, handed over the house to Stuurman on Friday.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Tau said the delivery of the house was a fulfilment of Stuurman’s dream of many years to have a decent home for herself and her two children.
“This is an exciting moment that marked the closure of a road that began on a rainy day when the NCOP was in Bongoletu in 2015, through its programme of Taking Parliament to the People, where Stuurman shared her painful plight of lacking adequate shelter that was wheelchair friendly.
“After listening to Stuurman and noting the poor condition of her wheelchair among the people with disabilities who participated in the public hearings programme of Taking Parliament to the People on that day in Bongoletu, we regarded her situation as a special case and based on that, we made a commitment to ensure that there is a decent house for her,” Tau said.
Tau brought the plight of Stuurman to the attention of key public and private sector role players, chief among them was the Department of Human Settlements.
“The role players did not just deliver a decent four-roomed house to Stuurman, but also filled it with the required furniture. We thank you profusely for this house and urge you to continue with that good spirit of patriotism to other needy South Africans,” Tau said.
An emotional Stuurman expressed deep appreciation.
“A gift of a home is not a little thing. It’s a very big thing. I can’t explain in words the feeling I have,” said Stuurman. – SAnews.gov.za
