Pensioner still waiting for her house after two decades

Nosisi Navotile Mdiza shares her story of waiting for a house for more than two decade.

A Lower Crossroads pensioner has had her hopes of having her own house dashed many times – and she’s demolished the shack she lives in, nearly as many times.

Nosisi Navotile Mdiza, 78, told Vukani she first applied for a government housing subsidy 20 years ago.

She was over the moon when, in 2000, she received a letter stating that her application was successful. Four years later she received another letter, this time informing her that she would be among the beneficiaries of a housing project in the area. She said was even given an erf number.

The Department of Human Settlements, however, told Vukani that Ms Mdiza’s details were not on their system.

Ms Mdiza, who previously lived in Old Crossroads, was one of a number of residents who moved to Lower Crossroads in the late 1990s.

Some of those who moved there with her, she said, have already been given their houses.

“I’m going to die soon and I have waited for years to receive a house,” she told Vukani.

“I don’t understand why my house has not been built yet. We have demolished this shack so many times as officials would come and tell us that we must get ready, the house would be built and we should make way for it.

“But that has never happened.

“We are then forced to rebuild our shack again.”

The sickly Ms Mdiza shares her dilapidated three-roomed shack with other eight people including her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Her husband died, still holding on to hope that they would be given a house.

And, she said: “The only source of income here is my old age pension grant and child support grant and that’s it.”

Her son, Buyisile Mdiza, said he depended on piecemeal jobs, but the lockdown had made it impossible for him to go out and find work and it was difficult to survive.

When Vukani asked the Department of Human Settlements for input on this matter, spokeperson, Muneera Allies, said they had checked their systems but could not find registration or allocation details for Ms Mdiza and advised the family to provide any information that could help them track the matter.