MALALE – Since his department is committed to providing the poorest of the poor with low-cost houses, the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Joe Maswanganyi, presented 300 houses in the area of jurisdiction of the Musina Municipality at the Malale Primary School sportsgrounds on Sunday. The houses were built at Madimbo (130), Malale (150) and Domboni (20) and are valued at about R6 930 000. The houses were developed and built by Vharanani Properties.

Maswanganyi said that beneficiaries in the three villages never hoped that their lives would change for the better, adding that some beneficiaries break into tears of joy and disbelief that they indeed own the low-cost houses. With regard to Social Development Month, Maswanganyi stipulated that old-aged persons must be given full respect. He urged community members to protect and not to misuse their pension grants, but to protect them.

In defending accusations that the government is failing to deliver services, he said that if the Government were not on the right track, the former Minister of Housing, Thembi Mahanyele, should not have received the highest honour by the United Nations for improving the housing conditions of six million poor people during her time in office.

"This is a true indication that our government has made significant strides in improving our people's lives, through the provision of houses to the poor in this country," said Maswanganyi in an exclusive interview with Mirror. He added that the government, within a period of eight years, exceeded their expectations on housing provision by providing more than 1,45 million houses.

"This is a true demonstration that we are committed to dealing with the housing backlog," he said. He thanked the developer, Mr David Mabilu of Vharanani Properties, and the project steering committee for a job well done. When asked about the creation of jobs, Maswanganyi elaborated that the project has created short-term employment for about one hundred and sixty people.

The community members, who are still in need of electricity, water, a mobile post office, a clinic and a court house, pleaded with the MEC to provide them with those basic needs. In response to that, Joe Maswanganyi said that apart from building houses, the government is also committed to ensuringthat people have access to water and electricity, and it is a challenge. He said in remote areas like the three villages, the government has a clear programme to implement these projects in line with priorities, as outlined in the Integrated Development Plan.

He appealed to community members without identity books to start applying through the Department of Home Affairs, before the elections come next year. To the youth, Maswanganyi said that they must abstain from sex, be faithful or condomise.

He also announced that Mr David Mabilu of Vharanani Properties had been nominated as the best housing developer of the year, while Mr Johannes Mulondo of Musina had been nominated as the housing person of the year in the Province by the Housing Institute in South Africa. Vharanani Properties handed over tokens of appreciation to Maswanganyi, the head of Department of Local Government, Mr Pandelani Ramagoma and to the Mayor of Musina, Cllr AD Phologa.