17 February 2009
The Department of Housing has given away prizes worth R40 000 to 13 winners
of a gardening competition on the N2 Gateway in Delft. At the prize winning
ceremony for the Green Delft Green Home awards, on Valentineâs Day, Sibusiso
Nyakambi was announced the overall winner out of 172 entries.
This former resident of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa, received
R5 000 for himself and R5 000 for a charitable or community organisation of his
choice. He chose to support a crèche attended by 52 children of N2 Gateway
beneficiaries, run by one of his neighbours, Nyameka Tyesi. Nyakambi started
working on his garden as soon as he was allocated his home in November 2007,
and said he never thought his garden would be entered in a competition, let
alone win.
Housing MEC Mr Whitey Jacobs told the audience: âI have seen beautiful Delft
coming together. People are starting to green their gardens and become proud
home owners. We are going beyond building houses. We are building communities
so that people can change their lives.â
Siyabulela Manciya was the runner-up and won R6 000. He donated R3 000 to
two of the newly established schools on the N2 Gateway, the Hindle Road primary
and secondary schools. This is because his two daughters, six years old
Alungile and 14 years old Nontombi, are enrolled in the schools and he would
like to support their education.
In third place was Carl Arendse, who previously lived in a shack in the
backyards of Belhar. He won R4 000, of which he donated R2 000 to a community
centre in The Hague Avenue in Delft, the Nelson Mandela Peace Park.
Ten other prizes were awarded. A popular winner was Aunty Katie Hoffman, the
countryâs first recipient of a new standard two bedroom Breaking New Ground
(BNG) home who received a special mention in the Premierâs State of the
Province address the previous day, she won R2 000.
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Western Cape
Provincial Government
17 February 2009
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za)
