A house for Simphiwe

“I hold no grudge against my siblings who left me alone four years ago to fend for myself and do not care how I survive or get by, I’ll always welcome them back with open arms,” said the 20-year-old Simphiwe Thomo of Lochiel near Warburton.
He was speaking to the Highvelder at his late grandfather’s dilapidated mud house of which he instantly became the head after his siblings left him four years ago and never returned .
The Grade 10 learner of Itshe Lembube Secondary School poured his heart out on how difficult most of his days are.
“Yesterday (last Friday) I had nothing to eat and went to bed on an empty stomach. When most of my peers decide what to eat or wear, I have no choice. The clothes I’m wearing now are all I have, apart from my school uniform,” he said, pointing to his worn-out jeans, pale green T-shirt and sneakers which also double up as school shoes though their life-span is almost over.
He also told the reporter how difficult it is to concentrate in class on an empty stomach.
The mud house he lives in has also become dangerous as he fell victim to house-breaking recently. He relived his shock when he returned from school to find it ransacked and the few pieces of clothing and household articles as well as other meagre possessions stolen.
Every morning he has to figure out where his next meal will come from.
If he does get a piece job, he has to eke out the few rands he earns to make sure it lasts him a couple of days.
Last Saturday Simphiwe and a group of young people rolled up their sleeves to dig a foundation for a house to be constructed next to his grandfather’s hut.
This is to be his new home.
The ANCYL in the Gert Sibande Region committed to building him a house as their contribution to International Mandela Day.
Secretary of the Youth League, Trevor Nkosi, said they could not ignore Simphiwe’s circumstances and the challenges he is currently facing and wanted to do something meaningful to change his life.
“We’re building this lad a house to change his circumstances and restore his dignity so he can live a normal life like his peers and focus on the important things such as education,” said Mr Nkosi.
He added that they would also look into raising money to assist him in getting his life together.
A neighbour of Simphiwe’s, Busisiwe Ndlovu, is one of the few people helping him with food or money whenever she can.
She confirmed that he has been alone since his grandfather died. She tried on several occasions to contact his elder brother who always promised to send him some money, but nothing ever came of it.
When asked how he felt about his house, Simphiwe said he could not wait to see the finished product when he could move in and sleep well at night, knowing he was safe.
When asked how he would react if his siblings came back after he had moved into his house, he said he would welcome them with open arms, as they are his family.
Simphiwe’s father passed away in 2009 and he never knew his mother as she died when he was still a baby.
He plans to get a job one day where he can serve and protect those living or growing up in circumstances similar to his.
On the same day, a member of the Youth League, Ms Nakile Makhubela, gave Simphiwe a cellphone as a gift to make sure that he could contact people and they could check on him regularly.
Mr Nkosi also made a plea to government structures such as social development and business people to come to Simphiwe’s aid.