MADALA Mazizendile Nyathela (73) from Gugulethu in Cape Town says he'll rest peacefully if he dies anytime from now.
This after he received his house at the Gugulethu Infill area on Friday, 1 March.
Madala Mazizendile said he has been waiting for the house since 2000.
"I have been waiting for years. This is a dream come true. I always feared that I would die without my house, just like many other people who have been waiting houses.
"We buried many elderly people before receiving their keys, and it has always been my fear that I would die before owning a house," said madala.
His journey to get a house has been disappointing.
Firstly, he said he was told that he had been allocated a house in the Langa area, but he couldn't occupy it.
"I was also promised a house by a housing project in the Heideveld area, but I still missed out."
Madala Mazizendile was told that his name had been moved for allocation at the Gugulethu Infill Housing Project in 2014, but he was skeptical.
"I'm happy that I finally have a house. I've been renting all these years with my grant money. Now I'll be able to enjoy my money without worrying about rent," he said.
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Another elderly beneficiary, Nontsomi Sheila Sonqayi (70), said she will have something to leave for her children.
"I'm over the moon. I can't express how happy I am. I wish this happened to some of our friends who died waiting for these homes," said Sonqayi.
Gogo Ntombizandile Mpatha (67) said: "I thank my ancestors and God for keeping me alive to witness this day. I have lived in a shack most of my life. But today, I have a beautiful house in my name. I'm grateful. We waited for a long time, but eventually we got the houses," she said.
MMC of Housing Carl Pophaim said the project faced several challenges and they will do everything in their power to ensure they deliver homes to the people.
"The subsidised housing project has been subject to not only contractor challenges but many complexities and delays, including the Covid-19 national lockdown, extortion attempts, the unlawful occupation of partially completed units at the Mau Mau site and vandalism to completed works.
"The city will continue to do all it can to provide housing opportunities to those who need it most. Our teams remain dedicated to completing the Gugulethu Infill housing project for the beneficiaries and their families," said Pophaim.
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