A family of 13 from Madodonga in the Kutama area had to spend their Christmas in the same cramped, unstable shack they have been sharing for years, even though they have made several attempts over the years to be placed in a government-built RDP house.
Ms Livhuwani Hamisi (38), her uncle and 11 children all live together in one shack that is so tiny, one wonders how they all fit inside. Their shack is old and in poor condition. The windows are broken and the front door no longer closes properly. The structure is so flimsy that you can see the rays of the sun and the sky from inside. The roof leaks, so when it rains heavily, they go to the neighbour's house for shelter.
No one in the family is employed. "We all depend on the child support grants I receive for my children. The shack we live in is not safe and it's hard to squeeze 12 people in here because there is little space. If we could only have a decent house," Hamisi said.
"It is very painful to see my family suffer like this in front of me. I always worry who will take care of them when I die. Our living conditions are shameful. It is so difficult to survive like this, but I will do whatever it takes for my children and grandson, so they never go to bed on an empty stomach‚" she said.
Hamisi said that she first registered for an RDP house around 2017, but her application was unsuccessful. No reasons were given as to why her application was not approved while so many other people, even those who already had proper houses, got new RDP houses.
The local traditional leader, Vhamusanda Vho-Ntanganedzeni Kutama, said the royal council was aware of Hamisi and her family's hardships. He said they had been working tirelessly to fight poverty in the village. "We are in the process of identifying all the poor families who have the same problem as Hamisi and her family. As soon as we have completed the list, we will send it to the relevant authorities, and she will be among identified as needing urgent help," he said.