Of his new home, Dyani said: “It’s a beautiful house.”
Jossey, who had previously complained about lack of privacy at the rondavel, said on Tuesday: “I am so happy that I will be having my own room. We are grateful to the Dispatch and everyone involved in making this possible.”
The house was a hive of activity as Eskom electrical technicians installed an electricity meter.
MMS Development manager Mark Holloway said it took his team 14 days to complete the house.
“The house is finished; we’re waiting for more furniture to arrive, and groceries as well.”
Holloway said they were approached by the department of human settlements to build the house for the old man.
“We love doing this work. It’s great for the community for them to receive a gift like this. We are happy to be involved in this type of thing,” said Holloway, adding that they had built and handed 26 homes to beneficiaries throughout the province over the years.
DispatchLIVE reported in June that Dyani had been waiting for the ANC-led government, which he said he had voted for since 1994, to build him a proper house.
At the time, ward 26 ANC councillor Ntukulana Ncotela said there were villagers who were worse off than Dyani and slammed the old man’s children for not building him a house.
Dyani is a polygamist who had two wives, the late Nodukuduku Dyani, who died at 78, and Nongazi Ramncwana, 64.
Speaking to the Dispatch, he said: “We are very happy. We have been living in fear at night not knowing whether the house would collapse in the middle of the night. We thank God and the ancestors.”
Human settlements MEC Nonkqubela Pieters shared the excitement of the Dyani family on Tuesday.
Speaking via her spokesperson Masiza Mazizi, Pieters said the department would continue prioritising destitute and vulnerable beneficiaries, who included the elderly, disabled, child-headed families, and military veterans.
“Siyakhathala [translated: we care].”
malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
He’s 103, but it’s never too late to own a home
Image: ALAN EASON
Two months ago the notion of owning his own home was just a dream for 103-year-old Diliza Dyani.
But after publication of a report on the Nxarhuni centenarian’s plight by the Daily Dispatch in June, a home was built for him.
Dyani will move into the fully furnished, four-roomed house this weekend. It has two bedrooms, a lounge, a kitchen and a bathroom.
The house was built through a partnership between the provincial department of human settlements and MMS Development construction company.
Dyani was all smiles when the Dispatch visited him at home on Tuesday. Sitting on his stool on the sunny day, Dyani said: “I am thrilled to finally own a home! Summer rains are coming but will not cause problems for me anymore.”
The elderly man currently shares a dilapidated, mud rondavel that leaks when it rains, with his granddaughter, Jossey. The roof is weighted down by rocks to prevent it from blowing away when it is windy.
100-year-old man gets a house in Gauteng - after 22-year wait
Of his new home, Dyani said: “It’s a beautiful house.”
Jossey, who had previously complained about lack of privacy at the rondavel, said on Tuesday: “I am so happy that I will be having my own room. We are grateful to the Dispatch and everyone involved in making this possible.”
The house was a hive of activity as Eskom electrical technicians installed an electricity meter.
MMS Development manager Mark Holloway said it took his team 14 days to complete the house.
“The house is finished; we’re waiting for more furniture to arrive, and groceries as well.”
Holloway said they were approached by the department of human settlements to build the house for the old man.
“We love doing this work. It’s great for the community for them to receive a gift like this. We are happy to be involved in this type of thing,” said Holloway, adding that they had built and handed 26 homes to beneficiaries throughout the province over the years.
DispatchLIVE reported in June that Dyani had been waiting for the ANC-led government, which he said he had voted for since 1994, to build him a proper house.
At the time, ward 26 ANC councillor Ntukulana Ncotela said there were villagers who were worse off than Dyani and slammed the old man’s children for not building him a house.
Dyani is a polygamist who had two wives, the late Nodukuduku Dyani, who died at 78, and Nongazi Ramncwana, 64.
Speaking to the Dispatch, he said: “We are very happy. We have been living in fear at night not knowing whether the house would collapse in the middle of the night. We thank God and the ancestors.”
Human settlements MEC Nonkqubela Pieters shared the excitement of the Dyani family on Tuesday.
Speaking via her spokesperson Masiza Mazizi, Pieters said the department would continue prioritising destitute and vulnerable beneficiaries, who included the elderly, disabled, child-headed families, and military veterans.
“Siyakhathala [translated: we care].”
malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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