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There were scenes of joy in Patensie on Thursday when centenarian, Poto Dyantyisi, received a house for the first time.
Eastern Cape MEC for Human Settlements, Siphokazi Lusithi, handed over the keys to the newly built house to Dyantyisi, who is 110 years old, after years of living in a shack.
The Department said the handover ceremony marked a special tribute to Nelson Mandela Day and highlighted government's commitment to improving the lives of its most vulnerable citizens.
"Today, on Mandela Day, we celebrate one of the most vital milestones in our nation's history. It is a day where we demonstrate our commitment to prioritising the needs of our elderly citizens and people living with disabilities.
“This commitment is reflected in our destitute programs, and we are here today, in the spirit of tata Nelson Mandela, to give importance to this day through action,” said MEC Lusithi.
Dyantyisi, who lived in the shack with seven siblings, said he had longed for a proper home and now his dream has come true.
“Thank you to the Department of Human Settlements and the Kouga Local Municipality for this incredible gift. At this age, I am deeply moved to witness the construction of this new house for me,” he said.
The Department of Human Settlements said that Dyantyisi's situation was brought to their attention by the efforts of the ward councillor, local municipality and district departments, who all highlighted the urgent need intervention.
“We recognised the immediate need to improve his living conditions and enrolled him in our destitute program,” Lusithi explained, adding that the new home was built through the Department's Destitute and Vulnerable Groups Programme.
The Sarah Baartman District Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Deon De Vos commended the Department for the swift action taken.
“It is a very emotional day, especially because we have handed over a house to one of our oldest citizens. We have a high number of unemployed youth and more elderly people living in need of houses, but we are working on the process of building more houses,” said De Vos.
