Tears of joy and sadness for family

Mandela Day 'winner' (aged 23) dies before getting house

TEARS of joy turned into sadness a few days after the sod-turning ceremony for a five-roomed house to be given to the Ndzovo family when one of the family members died.

The donation was suppose to be part of the preparations for Mandela Day celebrations at Hlaniki outside Giyani.

Eunice Ndzovo, 23, died yesterday after a short illness, a few days after she was chosen as the best candidate to receive the fully furnished house on July 18 as a Mandela Day project.

Good Samaritans had taken it on themselves to ease the plight of six orphans living in a dilapidated one-roomed hut and surviving on a single disability grant since their parents died five years ago.

Ndzovo was the one receiving the disability grant.

Construction had already started after businessman Mishack Makhubele, managing director of Gija's Home Improvement Centre in Giyani, and local radio station MLFM agreed to build them the house, furnish it and give them groceries as their contribution to Mandela Day.

Ndzovo 's death was yesterday confirmed by her elder sister Tembi Ndzovo.

"She was the one we depended on as a family because of her disability grant since we are all at school."

Makhubele assured the family that though Eunice had passed on they would complete the project.

The family had been living on hand-outs from other residents.

Makhubele said the house would officially be handed over to the family on July 18.

Million Mabunda of MLFM said the station felt obliged to help. "It is not only here that we have made a difference to many impoverished households in our province, but we have also done so in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and beyond."