EIGHTY-YEAR-OLD senior resident Elina Mkhize failed to contain her happiness when eThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda handed her the keys to her new home on 24 November in Ntuzuma C Section.
Mkhize’s home was destroyed by a fire last year which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault. The family of 10 was left with only the clothes on their backs. As part of Operation Sukuma Sakhe, Mayor Kaunda visited the Mkhize family to assess the damage caused by the fire, assisted with temporary accommodation and pledged to restore their dignity by building them a new house.
Mkhize’s new home is a result of a public-private partnership between eThekwini Municipality and Stedone Construction. At the handover of Mkhize’s new home, Mayor Kaunda said: “As promised during my visit to assess the damage caused by the fire, I have returned to ensure that Gogo Mkhize receives the keys to her new home.” An elated Mkhize commended the Municipality and Stedone Construction for making her dreams come true. “When my home was gutted by fire last year, it was a very difficult time for my family as we lost everything.
Today our hopes have been restored and we will now sleep peacefully knowing that we have a roof over our heads,” she said. Mayor Kaunda also handed over a new home to the Cebekhulu family in Ntuzuma F who were relocated because their previous house was situated along a service delivery development. This home was also constructed as a result of a public-private partnership between the Municipality and AJ Group and AJ Properties.
A happy Mandla Cebekhulu thanked all stakeholders for working together to transform lives for the better. “I wish to encourage all stakeholders to continue to accelerate service delivery and ensure that changing lives is a priority of the transformation agenda,” he said.
silindile.maluleka@durban.gov.za