The Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, together with Human Settlements MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe, handed over a fully furnished house to a 52-year-old wheelchair bound and destitute woman at Mphekweni Village in Peddie today, 04 August 2022. The handover kickstarted the Provincial government’s Women’s Month Programme that will be rolled out during the month of August.
“Buyelwa Goniwe’s dream was to receive a house, her living conditions were really dire and not conducive to her physical challenge, government has moved swiftly to provide a permanent solution,” said Premier Mabuyane. The Premier identified the case while on an election drive last year where he saw Goniwe struggling to move around in an unstable shack. The disabled are prioritized by providing them with decent quality houses that are suitable to meet their needs and restore their dignity.
Buyelwa Goniwe, will from now on live in a 45 square meter house complete with ramps and a tank to harvest rainwater. “I thank the Premier and government for this house. I was staying in a shack which rained during winter, now I feel better and believe my health will improve,” said Goniwe. The plight of people living with disabilities was emphasized when Inkwenkwezi Blind Society from Peddie cited the slogan, “Nothing about us without us”, at the handover, and called on unity between government and civil society.
MEC Kontsiwe outlined the Department’s plans for the Ngqushwa Local Municipality which include building 1500 houses over a period of two years in Ngcinisa, Mphekweni and Hamburg collectively.
ENDS.