An impoverished family at Muswodi is beside itself with joy, after the premier of Limpopo, Cassel Mathale, visited it. Mathale visited pensioner Sophia Tshifularo Mudau and inspected the RDP house the government is building her.

Mathale also promised the overjoyed Ms Elisa Mulaudzi to buy furniture for her house, once it is completed.

Tshifularo has been without decent shelter since her house was damaged in the storms many years ago. She has been battling to get an RDP house for far too long, without any luck. Her family of seven lived in a cracked structure that was just like a time bomb, waiting to explode.

“When officials told me they were going to build me a house, I thought these were the same old promises they made which were not fulfilled. However, as things turned out when the material was brought to our yard, I thought I was dreaming," said the ecstatic Tshifularo.

The gogo’s sick daughter, Tshililo Mudau, said life had been very miserable as they were forced to cram into the dilapidated and cracked structure which was a risk to their lives.

Mathale and his entourage also found a sick woman who was just lying at home and not going to hospital. They took the sick woman to hospital. “These are some of the things we do not see while we are sitting in cosy chairs in air-conditioned offices. The imbizos help us to get in touch with the realities of the situation our people find themselves in on a day-to-day situation,” said Mathale.

Mathale later spoke at the imbizo at Muswodi Dipini in Mutale outside Thohohoyandou. He said that he had told the MEC for the Treasury, Mr Saad Cachalia, that MECs should indicate the money that they wanted and for what purpose. He said if MECs allowed the money allocated to their departments to be returned to the treasury without being utilized, that would be an application for redeployment. He said that showed laziness.

During the imbizo, villagers told the government about their problems, which ranged from unemployment and water shortages to bad roads and corruption in the awarding of RDP houses. Most speakers talked about the state of their municipality, which does not have a single town. “The area is 1% town; the only town-like structures are some of the houses built by owners,” said one resident.

The MEC for Health, Ms Miriam Sekgabutla, has promised that a new clinic will be built in the area. The premier also gave food parcels to several poor people in the area.