Reunited with family
An impoverished Matikoxikaya pensioner finally saw light at the end of a tunnel after three decades without his beloved wife, children and their extended family.
Valentine’s Day came much earlier for Paul Khoza as February 12 saw him being transported from Matikoxikaya to Marite Alexandra Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga accompanied by Namakgale Police Station Communications Officer, Constable Dineo Sekgotodi and Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality DA PR Councillor, Belius Ramothwala.
Now in his early 80’s, Khoza was born and bred in Mozambique; left his family and moved to South Africa in the early 70’s and settled in Marite.
“I left Mozambique for greener pastures in South Africa and life was fine upon arriving in Bushbuckridge to a point as I got employed as a domestic worker on a farm at Ingwe Park and worked there for over a decade but the farmer later left the country to Mozambique and as a result I was retrenched. I even met my wife on the farm. We later had eight children,” explained a jubilant Khoza.
Khoza added that he left Bushbuckridge in 1983 and headed to Phalaborwa, searching for a job in the local mines, but he ended up settling in earlier Lulekani settlement next to Lulekani Stadium when Xitsonga speaking people residing at Makhushane were chased away by the then Chief Brown Malatji.
“Catherine ‘Ngwavutlharhi” Mathebula warmly welcomed me into her Matikoxikaya home and I eventually found a job as a security guard at Makwakwa Cafe. Things were fine at Ngwavutlharhi’s house until she passed away in 2004. Her nephew started resenting me and the heavy 2013 floods destroyed my mud house,” he remarked.
The popular shoe repairer says his neighbour; Juju Mnisi gave him shelter having realized that he wasn’t going to survive the floods.
“I stayed with the Mnisi’s since 2013 until yesterday when through the grace of God, Good Samaritans managed to relocate my family. I am internally grateful to the Mnisi’s and Namakgale Police Station Communications Officer, Constable Dineo Sekgotodi for opening their hearts for a complete stranger and may God continue blessing them. I hardly slept last night and I can’t wait to go home. I am extremely delighted,” explained Khoza.
DA PR councillor, Belius Ramothwala says he was touched when he heard Sekgotodi giving her weekly reports at Phalaborwa FM last year in August and having mentioned that she managed to help find a missing person’s family in the North West.
“Surprisingly, I also heard Constable Sekgotodi commenting on PFM, but I had never physically met her and post our Foskor Community Centre meeting and narrating Khoza’s plight to her, she was so incredibly open hence I knew from that day that the old man would finally go back home,” he remarked.
The reigning 2015 Limpopo Police Woman of the Year and second best Administrator of the Year, Sekgotodi says it is through God’s will that she is able to help the needy.
“Ours is to be the catalyst of change we want to see in our communities and it is wonderful and fulfilling seeing joy in people’s faces having gone through intense adversities in their lives.
Upon arrival at Alexandra, Khoza was informed that his wife and five children have since passed away and the remaining ones are the first born, Liza Khoza, the fifth born, Jeffery Khoza and last born being Josephina Khoza.
Khoza is currently not receiving a social grant as he doesn’t have an ID, but the family committed to take him to the local Home Affairs offices to apply for an ID.
“Chief Mokoena welcomed us like heroes as we brought back home a lost son,” noted Ramothwala.
