An impoverished single mother, who had no roof over her head, was rescued from her mire of poverty when a caring contractor heard of her plight and built her a four-roomed house.

The woman, Ms Lydia Netshifhefhe (48) of Mukula-Phindula outside Thohoyandou, has been forsaken by her family and the community. She was on cloud nine after the house was officially handed over to her by contractor Edzani Matumba of Edzani Community Development and Consultancy.

In handing over the house, Ms Matumba-Malelelo said she was approached by the local Ward 33 Thulamela councillor, Esther Muedi, who told her of the misery the woman was going through. “I went to the home, and what I saw was heartbreaking. I found a collapsed, one-roomed mudhouse and imagined the pain she was going through,” said Matumba.

The humble businesswoman gave a house to a poor family and wheelchairs to the disabled at Mdabula Village last year and also helped in countless community initiatives. “We are doing our bit to meet government halfway in service delivery. They gave us business opportunities and we should not turn a blind eye when someone is suffering while we have more than enough. We have to plough back the little we can to our employers, the taxpayers."

She also encouraged women from the area to start businesses and to register companies. She promised to draw up business plans for women who are from the village, free of charge. “This is our humble contribution to our community. The little we can do to change people´s lives will give us peace of mind and we will continue doing this inasmuch as God wishes us to do,” she said.

The beneficiary, Lydia Netshifhefhe, could not hide her happiness. “I am a poor woman and did not have any place to stay after my mudhouse collapsed many years ago. I thank this woman from the bottom of my heart and wish that her business wil go from strength to strength,” she said.