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BROKEN PROMISES: Million Mahlakoana, his wife and children accuse Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza of breaking his promise to build a house for them. PHOTO: MOHAU MOFOKENG

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Million Mahlakoana, a father of six from Matibidi near Graskop, said his three-roomed mud house collapsed during heavy rains in January this year. No one was injured.

"About two weeks later David Mabuza came to the area. He said two tents would be erected and we' d sleep in them temporarily," he said.

Mahlakoana lives with his wife, children and uncle in a yard that has two other rooms. The rooms, built of mud, have cracks inside and outside. They, also could collapse at any time.

Mahlakoana's uncle occupies one room, while he and his wife and their children - aged between 11 months and 17 years - share the other room.

He said: "We used to sleep in the tent because we were afraid the rooms would collapse."

He said a foundation was laid in March but the contractor just left it like that.

"We did not see him in April, May, June and July. He came last month, just a week before (Public Protector) Thuli Madonsela came to the province. She was here to meet communities and talk about housing and other service delivery concerns and that was when he started building it," he said.

The RDP house has a roof, but there are no windows and it has yet to be plastered.

Mahlakoana, who had found a job as a long-distance taxi driver, said he was forced to quit his job because he was concerned about his family's safety.

"I was away from home for weeks . I was stressed and worried about them. I quit my job and came home.

"The house was built so quickly. I doubt it was properly done ," he said.

Mabuza's spokesman, Zibonele Mncwango, referred Sowetan to the department of human settlement.

Human Settlement Department spokesman Freddy Ngobe said the department's emergency housing assistance programme is in the process of establishing the exact progress of the house in question. - mashabas@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Sat May 18 10:50:32 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 7, 2012

golly459

Mahlakoana, who had found a job as a long-distance taxi driver, said he was forced to quit his job because he was concerned about his family's safety.
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you quit??? haibo!!!!!, like I said and I will say it again, fathers and mothers stop making babies if you know you can’t afford, I know government is doing so little but if we can try to meet Gov. halfway by trying birth control ,just imagine 17 years old sleeping with your father ????
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Sep 7, 2012

ayobaness

@golly
point taken but u must read the story again
their house has collapsed due to heavy rains
nd premier offered them a help not lyk they went
to da premier nd again da contractor sped up da
process of building da house coz thuli was coming then so
i blame da contractor coz he was paid to do da jod
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Sep 7, 2012

golly459

@ ayobaness
but do you think quiting his job was a solution???Instead of working and build atleast two room for his family while waiting for premier,
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Sep 7, 2012

CYBORICO

when i was president of the LRC back in 97 i engaged Mr Mabuza and we asked him for help with setting up a library and a small science lab at our school, through his influence we receved lots of laboratory equipment and chemical from a company if not mistaken rentokil and i have since had good respect of dude, when I heared he was going to b premiar i was glad and hope that since he is a local guy he will be more hands on on issues of the province, i am dissapointed when i see him beeing bad mouthed like that,
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Sep 7, 2012

warry

Talk of lazy. Suka no away for long u just want to do 12 kids. You jealous of the wife. Bull.
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Sep 7, 2012

ayobaness

@golly
no he did rong to quit ,da problem with
us people is dat we react deferently
when it comes to stress we end up
doing something tha we think is beta
only to find that out later dat it infact rong
tghis man thought it was beta to go home nd
die with his family which u nd me beleive its rong

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Sep 7, 2012

MommaC

Where is Nomvula? My roof is leaking. She must fix it before I have to get up there and fix it myself. Or she must make it stop raining immediately.
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Sep 7, 2012

SlimasaseMP

This man did not pay Mabuza's asking bribe finish
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Sep 7, 2012

maditaba

@golly459. The premier should not have promised a house to this family. Rural blacks are very resourceful but this goverment's need to control everything is making them lazy and disempowering them at the same time.

They could have just donated material and let him find builders and manage them on his own. Then he would have more control over the building of his house.

But I agree with u on him quitting his job.
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Sep 7, 2012

Msiphos00

@ayobaness
I like your way of thinking straight to the point no jika jika


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