Three families from Walmer Township will sleep in a brick house for the first time after a handover by deputy human settlements minister Zoliswa Kota on Tuesday.
The handover took place after the departments of human settlements and small business development teamed up to speed up housing delivery in a programme called the Enhanced People’s Housing Process (EPHP).
This was developed to ensure communities became involved in building their own houses.
Kota was accompanied by small business development minister Lindiwe Zulu, Eastern Cape human settlements MEC Lubabalo Madikizela and Nelson Mandela Bay human settlements political head Andile Mfunda.
One of the recipients, Makhenke Tshongwe, 84, said he arrived in Walmer in 1964 and had lived in a shack ever since.
“I’m very happy that I finally have a home because it’ll make it easier to move around the house and the lady taking care of me will have an easier time too,” Tshongwe said.
Thobeka Luvalo, 52, who takes care of Tshongwe, said the home had been a long time coming and thanked the government for finally giving them a house.
Ntombesisa Mbanga, 19, who is a matriculant at Walmer High School, was also one of the recipients.
Mbanga, along with an older cousin, takes care of their siblings in a child-headed household.
Mbanga said she was both excited and nervous about the responsibility bestowed on her.
“I don’t have parents anymore – both of them died. My mother died in 2012 and my father died in 2004 and since then I’ve lived with my cousins.
“My grandmother lives in Mount Frere but I decided not to leave the metro because I wanted to finish my studies.
“I know how to take care of myself and when I’m finished at school I want to study BCom accounting.
“I’m scared really, but I’ve got everyone’s support and the whole community looks after us,” Mbanga said.
Zulu said it was important to enable businesses and cooperatives to build their own houses.
“We have six different cooperatives specialising in six different areas.
“We want them to be the ones who build houses because we want accountability, but also want the money to circulate in the community.
“This also gives co-operatives experience so that they can go elsewhere and get contracts to build more houses.
“Our commitment as government is to improve the lives of people,” Zulu said.
Kota said the partnership with small business development was to fast-track the housing backlog in the city.
“This EPHP project means that houses are built by the community after having been identified by community members.
“Even the selection of the beneficiaries comes from the community.
“The beauty of it is that it’s not only people building houses for people but for themselves, and [it] is a job creator – economic generation and everyone benefits,” Kota said.
Kota said the project started in 2014 but the co-operatives were identified only in 2017.
The department is planning to build 500 units in Walmer but that number might be increased after an assessment on the quality of the houses had been completed.