Family to receive RDP house after funeral saga

The MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sihle Zikalala has assured the Mkhungo family in Mthwalume that a house will be built for them.

Zikalala was speaking after an Induna in the Nyangwini area prohibited the Mkhungo family from burying their loved one in the area, saying that the land did not belong to them.

Zikalala said an RDP house will be built for the Mkhungo family by the Department of Human Settlements through Operation Sukuma Sakhe.

He added that some of their other interventions include psychosocial support to the family for the traumatic experience that they had.

The Mkhungo family finally buried Rose Manase Mkhungo on Thursday last week in the municipal cemetery.

“We welcomed the intervention by the uMzumbe Local Municipality, which covered the costs of the funeral of the Mkhungo family, after the incident that occurred where the family is alleged to have been refused the right to bury their mother in a parcel of land in uMthwalume. This incident led the family, to have to return the body of their loved one to the mortuary,” said Zikalala.

He added that similar incidents have occurred in the same area and formal legal processes are unfolding to effectively deal with such unfortunate and dehumanizing circumstances that involve local authorities. Meanwhile, the daughter of the deceased, Ntombifuthi Khwane said they were relieved to hear that the Department of Human Settlements will be building them a home.

She told Fever that they are currently unemployed and are renting.

“We were very happy to hear that MEC Sihle Zikalala and the department will assist us. Our big brother who had organised money to buy land in Nyangwini has been asked to go to the Mathulini Traditional Council following the burial incident. We are not sure yet what the meeting will be about,” she said, adding that they are very happy to have finally buried their mother.

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