ZWELIHLE – A 62-year-old man who has been on the housing waiting list for 21 years is one of 31 beneficiaries who received the keys to their homes last week.
Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers, along with Overstrand Executive Mayor Annelie Rabie and Deputy Mayor Lindile Ntsabo, handed the keys to 31 beneficiaries of the Swartdam Road Site C1 housing project in Zwelihle, Hermanus at a special ceremony on Tuesday 1 March.
This project forms part of the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) and will yield 150 top structures in total.
Construction commenced in February 2021 with an allocated budget of just over R20 million. Full completion of the project is expected within the next few weeks.
Simmers said: “Handing these units over to residents who have been waiting for between 16 and 23 years brought me immense joy. These are the beneficiaries whom we prioritise, as they have been patiently waiting for more than 15 years. I’m pleased that I could assist in ensuring that they now live in a safer, improved and dignified manner.”
Abe Goniwe (62) who has been on the housing waiting list for 21 years, and whose wife has passed on, described the occasion as “bittersweet”.
“I wish my wife was here to share in this wonderful moment,” he said. “I do miss her dearly. I am happy and grateful for this means the world to me. I’ve waited very long, and now I finally have my home and I would like to thank the minister and the Western Cape Government for giving me this home. My wish is that they do the same for others.”
Rabie thanked the community, especially those who had been on the waiting list for more than 15 years, for waiting their turn.
She emphasised the importance of having a testament to ensure your assets go to the people you want it to.
The Mayor invited beneficiaries to visit her office should they need help in drawing up the necessary documentation.
She also urged home owners to beautify their homes and take pride in them and in their neighbourhood. She urged people to report those who vandalise houses, or who break in and steal.
Simmers called on the community to beware of unscrupulous characters making false promises of helping them to obtain a house.
“You have to register your housing need at your local municipality and follow due process before you will be assisted,” he stated. “Community members should also report those who are engaging in these fraudulent activities to their municipality, so they may face the full might of the law.”
