Two elderly women whose homes were destroyed by a devastating storm in January 2017 received new houses on Wednesday.
Novumile Ngebulana, 80, from Matyengqina village outside Mthatha was on the verge of trying to build herself a shack because she could no longer cope with the conditions in her dilapidated rondavel.
“I was hit by two storms. I think the first one was in 2011 and the other was the terrible one from last year which left a huge hole in the roof.
“When it rains the whole rondavel floods and it gets unbearably cold. I have been collecting these zinc sheets to build a shack because I thought a shack would be better than this,” said Ngebulana.
She was in tears when she told the Daily Dispatch on Wednesday that she thought she would die in squalor and cannot believe that the house truly belongs to her.
“This brings me peace of mind and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. I feel like a new person,” she said.
Over 200 families were left destitute and some homeless by the January 2017 disaster.
The storm had spread through several villages including Nxele, Qweqwe, Payne Farms, Zimbane, Maqhinebeni, Viedgesville, Mqanduli and Matyengqina.
The department of human settlements, together with the OR Tambo district municipality, allocated R450m for the OR Tambo disaster 260 housing project. It was divided into two phases with a total of 242 completed units from the 260.
Noxolo Mvula could walk just fine before the storm last year but was left paralysed when her mud flat collapsed with her trapped inside. Her structure was completely destroyed.
She said she had to move in with relatives after the incident and while she waited for the house to be complete.
Both their houses have two beds, a kitchen cupboard loaded with groceries and a sleeper couch for the lounge.
Requiring special needs Mvula had her house specially fitted with a ramp and rail leading to the front door and to the outside toilet.
The houses also come with water tanks...