"I am the happiest person on earth today. If I die now, I shall be happy." These were the words of Ms Nyadzani Sarah Ndou (106) of Mabvete village after receiving her four-room, fully furnished house, a VIP toilet and wheelchair from the mayor of Musina, Cllr Mihloti Muhlope, last Friday.
Ndou, who stays with her 79-year-old daughter and three great-grandchildren, lived in a one-room house built of rocks and has never benefitted from any housing programme provided by the government.
Mabvete village now falls under Ward 8 of Musina Municipality. It is one of the more than 50 villages that were incorporated from the now-defunct Mutale Municipality after the municipal boundaries were redrawn two years ago.
Ndou said she was happy that she was being honoured with her own house, despite her advanced age. She thanked all the Good Samaritans who had made sure that her dream was realized.
Ndou's daughter, Vhulahani Mulaudzi, said life had been tough for her and her mother while they were staying in the one-room house. "We built the room ourselves many years ago, and it was becoming very dangerous to live in. When it is hot, the sun's rays get in and during rainy times, everything getse wet. We are very thankful to everyone, and words alone cannot express our happiness."
The director of Ramkol Construction and Projects, Mr Rampete Rangata, whose company built the house, the toilet and bought the furniture, said he was happy that he had put a smile on Nyadzani's face. "We felt the need to contribute to providing a decent shelter for this family as part of our company's social responsibility programme. We have done a lot for our communities and we will continue to do so to improve the lives of our people."
Mayor Mihloti Muhlope said the government would continue to work with various stakeholders to address service-delivery backlogs. "We are happy that, together with our partners, we are succeeding in improving the lives of our people. We wish this family good luck and we are happy that they now have a decent place they call home."