The families who had their homes destroyed by a hailstorm on December 1 in Ngwemnyama Village in Ntabankulu, received brand new homes on Sunday, just in time for Christmas.
MEC for human settlements Babalo Madikizela, who was among the first to visit the scene after the storm, promised the families that they would have their homes rebuilt before Christmas, a promise he has kept.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on Sunday, Madikizela, who was with villagers who were slaughtering a cow in preparation for the official handover scheduled for Monday, said he was happy with the turnaround time.
He said delivering the houses had been a huge task but his staff had worked around the clock.
“It was an ambitious project, but it was necessary. When we came to the scene a day after the storm hit we could not bear the sight of a 68-year-old man who was squeezed in his neighbour’s house with his nine-member family. His eyes displayed great despair. We had to act,” said Madikizela.
The standard RDP houses would now become home to ten families who had no other means to rebuild their homes.
Makabongwe Bhunga, 68, could not hold back tears when he was interviewed by the Dispatch, expressing his gratitude. He said he had no idea how he would have rebuilt his home for his children, grandchildren and his daughter-in-law.
The contractor, Zola Goda of Zipho Zethu construction said they had worked 16 hours a day to ensure the houses were completed in time.
“As a company we were under serious pressure but were motivated to restore the dignity to these families. The terrain is bad but we worked ridiculous hours. We had two of our trucks falling over because there are no roads. We had to construct roads. This was an amazing project to work on,” said Godo...