Sasol spends R13-m on 33 houses

SECUNDA – Sasol spent R13 million on building 33 luxurious and upmarket houses in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality through the Premier, Mr David Mabuza’s initiative, Kancane Kancane.

Business people were asked to help him build houses for the elderly, the disabled and child-headed families.

Sasol and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this year to help reduce the housing backlog in the area.

Sasol built 17 houses in eMbalenhle, nine in Lebohang, five in eMzinoni and two in Kinross and all have built-in toilets and water and electricity.

Gogo Dolly Kubheka was presented with a birthday cake and received one of these houses from Mr Mabuza when she celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday 12 December at the Secunda Sasol “Days of struggling are over, I will enjoy Christmas with family a specious house.

“This is the best gift ever. This house is beautiful and is suitable and I thank Sasol and to my leader Mr Mabuza.”

Mr Mabuza said the event happened at an appropriate time when the country was remembering the legacy of Nelson Mandela who died in December last year.

“This is the right way to honour uTata Mandela.

“We thank Sasol for following in his footsteps by being selfless in improving the lives of some of our people, without expecting any reward.

“We must all continue this journey to better our country by noting where we come from.

“It is upon all of us to avail ourselves and take part in building a united, prosperous and a democratic society that will enjoy all the freedoms we can think of.

“We must try to emulate the examples Tata Madiba left behind.

“Today’s event tells us that for a long time these grannies never had houses, they never had clinics or schools and unfortunately some of them are now walking their last mile without these services.

“Today I find comfort in that before they leave this earth, they will have shelter they will call home.

“The rain that will come after today will never find them,” said Mabuza.

He said apartheid left a very difficult legacy for the democratic government to fix in a short period of time as the “damage was too deep”.

He said although Government is providing the services, it is not easy to solve all the problems.

“We must try and come closer to the people who have been the recipients of this suffering.

“It is a reality that there are millions of people who go to bed without food.

“Let us not get tired, what Sasol has done is a good cause.”

Ms Maureen Mboshane, vice president of Public and Regulatory Affairs Secunda Chemicals Operations said many South Africans cannot afford to buy a house due to circumstances and Sasol is now in a position to improve the lives of some of the underprivileged people in the area.

“The housing project is aligned with the objectives of the overall Ikusasa programme to ensure that the Govan Mbeki municipal area is a desirable location for talented individuals while making a positive contribution to South Africa as a whole through partnerships between private businesses and the local, regional and national governments as well as the rest of the local community.

“Strong community participation has been involved from the initiation of the housing project with labour from the area employed to build the houses, while local sub-contractors were used for the painting, plastering and installation of household fittings.

“The building contractor even donated a full soccer kit to the team in Lebohang where nine units were erected.”

Gogo Dolly Kubheka was presented with a birthday cake and a house by Mr David Mabuza, Mpumalanga Premier, when she celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday 12 December at the Secunda Sasol Club.