A ninety year old destitute widow danced and ululated as she took occupation of her newly constructed house as the latest beneficiary of the Each-One-Settle-One (EOSO) Campaign programme. Grandmother of 21 and great grandmother of 16, Christina Rapoo received keys to her new home from Managing Director of Tawana Business Projects, Malebo Magasa at an emotional ceremony held in Rasimone village in the North West Province on Thursday.
Rapoo who had been living in a dilapidated mud house with her 11 children since her husband died 28 years ago said that she felt blessed and could not stop thanking Magasa and other companies that donated towards the construction of her house.
Tawana Business Projects is the second housing developer to respond to the call by MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety& Liaison, Ms Desbo Mohono for contractors doing business with her department to donate at least one house to the destitute in communities they have been contracted to build houses as part government’s housing delivery programme
Magasa’s company has just completed a R3.5 Million development project for construction 50 houses in the village as part of the women build project. She says that two and a half years in construction has taught her many skills to penetrate the industry that was previously male dominated.
Her company which brought relieve to Rapoo and her dependants that the insecure structure they had been living in might collapse on them was awarded the Construction Industry Development Board (CIBD) women in construction excellence awards at provincial and national level last year
The EOSO Campaign was launched by the National Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale with intentions to mobilise stakeholders, private sector/institutions, agencies and business in order to assist the department towards reducing the backlog of Human Settlements.
The campaign will also assist in achieving the millennium development goals to eradicate informal settlements by 2014.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 391 0140
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 381 0328
E-mail:LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
Woman contractors alleviate destitute granny’s housing anxiety
Province
