The overarching aim of the 67 minutes on Mandela Day is to embrace the values of Tata Madiba through acts of charity and kindness and to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better.

It also seeks to empower communities everywhere and aims to bring happiness to the underprivileged.

There is a family at Makhuvha village, under the auspices of the Thulamela municipality, who feel betrayed by and always have bad memories about this day. A year ago, construction started on the dream house for the family of Salphinah Ramashia (49). The nine members of the family are packed like sardines into a collapsing rondavel and they have been waiting for a house for many years.

When the construction for their house started on Mandela Day 2012, it was the gift of  a lifetime. The house was a donation from the contractors who were building the local Makhuvha Stadium, in conjunction with the Thulamela municipality.

The family saw their dreams becoming a reality when the foundation was laid. The foundation was built amidst great fanfare, with Thulamela municipal councillors, officials, traditional leaders, contractors and many community members taking part. A year after the foundation was laid, only a concrete slab stands as reminder of the shattered dreams the family had.

This is not the first time that Lady Luck has avoided Salphinah Ramanyimi. In 2004, her application for an RDP house was approved, but she could not get the house as she was attending a family bereavement. This did not dampen her spirit and she applied again in 2012. She could not believe it when her application was approved. But as construction was about to start, she was identified as being an emergency case, whereupon contractors offered to build her a house. The house was earmarked for completion in a month.

Now Ramanyimi feels betrayed. "My ancestors have forsaken me. How on earth can I miss two chances to get my RDP house? When the businesspeople offered me a house in honour of Mandela, I thought my prayers were answered. I thought this time around it was for real as it was associated with the name of Mandela. Now I have lost all hope of ever getting a house,” she adds.

Ramanyimi says the family has no source of income and they only depend on grants, which makes life unbearable for them. "My health is deteriorating because of this problem, and I have no means to get out of this mess. The municipality and the contractors have denied me the right to have a government house. They just wanted to use Mandela's name to impress the forces that be, by making false promises," she said.

The senior traditional leader of the area, Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli, said he had thought all along that  the house had been completed a long time ago. "It would be very unfortunate if people used Mandela's name to gain fame at the expense of the poor. From now on, I will be monitoring the progress of the house because if it cannot be completed, the government will be failing this poor woman," he said.

The local traditional leader, Chief Makwarela Elvis Makhuvha, said he had received a report and enquired from the municipality. "Ever since I enquired, there has been progress; materials like sand and bricks have been delivered and I have been given an assurance the building will start soon," he said.

Mr Ronald Makhadi, the manager for sport, arts and culture in Thulamela, confirmed that there were problems with the building. "Our contractors, who pledged to build the house, had challenges which led to the delay. I can now confirm that we had a meeting with all of them and they have indicated that it will be completed in three weeks,” Makhadi said.