Gogo Lucy Rasiboka, who is 105 years old, has kicked off the year to a good start after being finally given an RDP home following years of moving from place to another.

The Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Tasneem Motara, and MMC for Human Settlements in the City of Johannesburg, Mlungisi Mabaso, handed over the house in Lufhereng, Ext. 6.  

A NEW LEAF

Gogo Rasiboka experienced the cold and cruel face of apartheid evictions, forced relocation and had to rent in difficult conditions for a long time.

Speaking to Zimoja Gogo Rasiboka?s daughter Phillis Rasiboka (61) said she had been living with her mother at homeless shelter in the Joburg CBD.

"I was born in Limpopo but my parents moved to Alexandra in 1940. They were forcefully relocated to Soweto Diepkloof, but managed to get a house. However, they were forcefully removed from that house by someone who claimed that they bought it,"said Phillis.

Phillis said her father died and she and her mother had been moving from one backroom to another.

"I met a friend who advised me to by metal sheets and go build a shack in Freedom Park. We stayed there with my two sons for years until we moved to the homeless shelter in Johannesburg. My sons remained at the shack and we would visit them from time to time," she said, adding that, "I am grateful that finally my mother will have her own bedroom and bath comfortably in a bathtub and have a proper lounge to watch TV."

A SIGH OF RELIEF

The MEC and MMC handed over a total of 47 houses in Lufhereng to selected beneficiaries, bringing to 115 houses already allocated in this project. 

"People register for houses everyday and we complete houses everyday, however the supply does not meet the demand. Unfortunately the amount of houses we can build is dependent on the budget. As you know that our department is funded through the government grant. With the economy the way it is, we have been forced to undergo budget cuts forcing us to delay on delivery," the MEC said.