Margate pensioner prays for a miracle after house falls apart
She cannot repair anything because she can't afford it.
INSTEAD of enjoying life as a property owner, it’s been one long nightmare for Margate pensioner, Levina Qwabe (78).
In 1995 Ms Qwabe secured a home loan to build her dream house at the corner of Brown and Kruger Streets.
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She started with just a 75 m² building, deciding between 1995 and 1998 to extend her home.
Plans were duly passed by the municipality and she applied for and was granted another loan for the extensions.
She had hired a registered contractor and the extensions were completed.
However, within a few short months, Ms Qwabe noticed that the house was beginning to crack.
Today, her house looks as if it has suffered a landslide and it is literally falling apart. There are huge cracks in the walls and ceilings and the cement floors in almost every room have given way.
When it rained, Ms Qwabe had to place buckets under the leaks. Wall and floor tiles had come loose and the master bathroom and dining room all but collapsed.
Her dream home turned into a house of horrors and, in 1998, she was eventually forced to move out.
She has been living with family ever since, and fighting to get help.
“I wish for a miracle. I have tried all these years to get my house fixed but I have failed. Now I am just left with a state pension.
“The contractor has since died, and I don’t know what to do. Since the problems with my house I have become extremely sick and can’t walk long distances,” said Ms Qwabe.
Standing empty for so many years, the house has been vandalised. Window panes, flooring, ceilings and electrical cables have been removed.
In 2010, her plight came to the attention of Hartley Bidla, chairman of the Eyethu Senior Citizens’ Club of Ward Six.
Ms Qwabe took Mr Bidla to her house, and he was shocked at what he saw.
“I cried bitter tears that day. The very same day I wrote to the then state president, Jacob Zuma, and other ministers for help but nothing came of it.
“Is there anyone out there who can perhaps help this woman move into an RDP house, or provide some other assistance,” he said.
Mr Bidla can be contacted at 073 5245022.
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