Tears of joy baptise her new home
A WOMAN from Kheyi village in Giyani was so grateful for the house that was given to her by the Greater Giyani Municipality on Friday, that she burst into tears, saying she did not know how she would have survived without the municipality's assistance.
A WOMAN from Kheyi village in Giyani was so grateful for the house that was given to her by the Greater Giyani Municipality on Friday, that she burst into tears, saying she did not know how she would have survived without the municipality’s assistance.
Eunice Hlungwani (48) had been braving the elements and sleeping outside without proper shelter since February after her estranged husband told her to leave.
A ward councillor in the area came across her and decided to do something about her situation.
Hlungwani said before the municipality stepped in to assist her, some villagers tried to assist her by providing some roofing panels, but she could not set up her own shack until the municipality came on board.
The municipality built her a temporary shack she could sleep in while they built her a house.
“Gone are the days when I used to huddle under a blanket outside, too cold to sleep. I used to wish for morning so that I could just get warmer by basking in the sun,” the mother of two said.
She said life was tough for her as she was unemployed and relied on hand-outs from her sister and neighbours.
As part of Mandela Day celebrations, Greater Giyani mayor Pat Hlungwani handed over a two-room house along with groceries worth R1 000 to give her some relief while she looked for a job. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Hlungwani said no tender system had been used to build the house, as the resources came from within the municipality.
“The house was built by our own employees using materials at our disposal.
“Some material such as windows and doorframes were donated by our officials who were touched by her situation. They paid for them from their own pockets,” he said, adding that the municipality would also ensure that the house was fully furnished.
“We have asked some business people to come on board, and as we speak someone has volunteered to deliver a bed today,” he continued, urging residents in the area to make every day a Mandela Day by doing things that helped their community.
