A Durban family has been living in a community hall for four years since their home was destroyed in a storm.
Maria Ngcobo and her three daughters have cooked, bathed and slept in the Inanda Newtown Community Hall, which is used for holding meetings and for religious ceremonies.
Desperate to move into the house promised to her by the eThekwini Municipality in 2009, her situation worsened with the death of one of her daughters last year.
"It was the most painful period in my life. Having no alternative, we had to hold her memorial service in the community hall while a meeting was under way. That's what one has to pay for being poor," she said.
City officials assured her in 2009 that living in the hall was a temporary measure while a new home was being found for her family, Ngcobo said.
"Staying at the community hall for this long is hard. Life is very difficult here. You have to do everything in one open space. You cook, bathe and sleep there. When it's cold, it feels as if you are sleeping under the blue sky," she said.
Ngcobo is doing odd jobs to ensure that her children are fed and educated. Her eldest daughter is a third-year university student.
"She is my hope for getting out of this poverty and misery."
Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said the city was unaware of the family's plight: "We will find out what exactly happened."
- Times Live
No comments:
Post a Comment