Recovering addict reunites with family in Protea
The Gauteng Department of Social Development, in partnership with a local businessperson, reunited Ndobe with her children, who spent the festive season apart.

A recovered drug user 37-year-old Thandeka Ndobe said she will never do drugs again.
She stated these words during her return to her renovated home at Protea Glen on January 12 after undergoing rehabilitation.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development, in partnership with the local businessperson, reunited Ndobe with her children, who spent their Christmas and New Year apart.
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The children spent the festive season at a children’s home while their mother was at a drug rehabilitation centre in Nigel.
As a prearranged surprise, Ndobe arrived at her recently remodelled home, which had been in poor condition because drug users gathered there to use drugs. She was so happy to see many people, including her neighbours, greeting her.
Speaking at her newly renovated home, Ndobe said after the passing of her husband she became depressed, started drinking, and her friends introduced drugs to her.
“Since then, I began craving drugs in the morning and was no longer taking care of my children. I didn’t have money anymore to support them, so I went to my local mall and started begging for food, even eating from trash bins,” she said.

The acting head of the Department for the Gauteng Department of Social Development, Bongani Ngomane, commended Ndobe for taking a brave step for the sake of her children’s future.
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“We thank Ndobe for her resilience and for returning home to start a new life in her community with her children.
“As the Gauteng Department of Social Development, we are proud of our social workers for stepping in, referring Ndobe to a rehabilitation centre, and placing the children in a children’s home while Ndobe was undergoing rehabilitation,” said Ngomane.
He said they are grateful that she is starting the new year in her newly renovated house, ensuring that her children will go back to school. Stakeholders such as Sassa, have promised to provide school uniforms for Ndobe’s children.
The contractor and local businessperson who renovated the house, Thihanedzwi Mashapha, said it was not easy for him to take on the project after being approached by the social workers from the Protea Glen office.
“As a parent and a local businessperson, one thought that came to my mind was the well-being of the children.
“The house was in a bad state, but I put everything in God’s hands, and everything just happened. I started working on this project during the festive holidays with my workers who did not go on holiday.

“The rubble we removed from this house required more than two trucks. It was burned down and we had to buy new bathroom and toilet sets since the original were all broken,” said Mashapha.
Mashapha added the work included the building of a perimeter wall, plastering the house, painting, electrical works and replacing the plumbing system and roofing.