Proper house for three orphans

Nothing is more fulfilling than moving from a makeshift shack to a modern four-room house, equipped with two double beds, a fridge and a stove.

This is a dream come true for the orphans of the Tlou family from Bale, Ha-Manenzhe in Ward 9 of the Musina Municipality.

Their plight came to light when the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), together with Thovhele Vho-Mmbangiseni Manenzhe, visited the family last year.

“The living conditions were very bad, because the three orphans were staying in a shack. We committed that we should do something to restore the dignity of these children as a matter of urgency. We felt that it might take longer for the children to wait for the government house allocation and we needed to come up with alternative plans,” said Coghsta MEC Mr Jerry Ndou when presenting the new house on Monday.

Ndou said his office engaged with a local construction company, Molanco Trading Enterprise, who offered to build the house for the orphans. “We wish to thank the donors for their contributions, and we hope that other local entrepreneurs will learn that it is important to plough back to our communities. We are happy that our efforts have gone a long way in putting a smile on the faces of these children.”

The managing director of Molanco Trading Enterprise, Mr Devotion Nemukula, said he was touched by the level of poverty after hearing about the plight of the Tlou orphans. “After learning that they lost both their parents years back and had no one to lean on, I decided to step in. The shack they were living in was not conducive enough, especially for the young ones who are still at school. I made it a point that we construct the house urgently and provide two double beds, a fridge and a stove. We want them to be responsible future leaders when they finish school. We will continue to assist needy community members through our social responsibility programme. We urge other businesspeople to come on board and assist destitute families in their areas.”

Thovhele Vho-Mmbangiseni Manenzhe said he was thankful that his subjects from indigent families were being taken care of. “We really thank anyone who took part in this life-changing initiative.”

One of the Tlou orphans, Murunwa (16), who is in Grade 10 at Niani High School, said that life was very tough, “but we are happy to note that there are people who care out there. Knowing that we now have a decent place to lay our heads, we will take our education seriously to achieve our goals of becoming educated professionals one day. Words alone cannot express our gratitude”.

Date:25 February 2019

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