Poor siblings from Matsulu get a home they deserve from ATM

Nonhlanhla Mabila, a neighbour to three children who were living in unfavourable conditions, saw a need to write to PutSA1st in order to help with their living conditions.

“As community members we were very concerned with their living conditions and safety and so we decided to help wherever we can,” said Mabila.
The children, Elsa (19), Lucia (15) and Renox (11) Baloyi, do not qualify for any social-grant relief as they are of Mozambican origin.

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“Our mother left in 2015 to go and work in Secunda in order to provide a better life for us. She would send money, but it was not enough to make ends meet,” said Elsa.
In January, Elsa left to join her mother in Secunda who was ill at the time and could not go to work.
In Secunda, she worked at a salon.
“With my mother sick we could not get the little income she used to send. So I had to leave my siblings and, with me having two kids and not being able to support them, it put a strain on everything,” said Elsa.
The one-room, corrugated-iron house had holes in it as it was poorly built. The children would often ask their neighbours for help to repair it.

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“On rainy days our clothes and bed would get wet and we would have to dry them so we could use them the next day. Sometimes the door would not lock and that would make us feel very unsafe,” said Elsa.
“When they started building the house I was not there and when my younger sister told me about it, I had to come back from Secunda to witness it myself. This really brought me joy,” she added.
With two kids and two siblings to feed, Elsa makes a living through piece jobs.
Dan Masilela, a spiritual father at TACC, who championed the project, said the whole initiative is about helping the needy.
“We are really proud of the whole project and we would like to urge anyone who can give us a helping hand to do so as there is more to be done. The children do not have a television, fridge and stove, but we managed to get them beds and more,” said Masilela.Those who want to help, can contact Masilela on 073-485-7444.