It was day filled with tears of joy, as Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers, handed over keys to beneficiaries of De Hoop, in Malmesbury, yesterday.
A lifelong dream for dozens of De Hoop community members, came true yesterday after years of living on farms and informal settlements. The De Hoop housing project is a catalytic project and an Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) of the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements (WCDoHS). The project will connect and be home to communities from Ilinge Lethu, Saamstaan and Abbotsdale areas. This is a multi-year project and It will create 3 468 housing opportunities in total.
The ceremony formed part of phase 1, which is set to deliver 395 houses by the end of financial year 2022/23, against a budget of R56 million. Sixty year old, wheelchair bound Mrs Magrita Skippers couldn’t hold back her tears as she received the keys to her brand-new home. She said: “I do not have enough words to express my gratitude, to the Minister and Mayor. I would like to thank God for the grace of life to finally have a place I can call my own.”
Another beneficiary Mrs Joline Van Der Post, added that “today was the happiest of my life and thank you to all government officials who have helped me and everyone here to get houses”. The project has delivered 100 houses to date, with 120 jobs created from the local community, of which 20 were women.
Minister Simmers concluded by stating: “Today is that day when hope is realized, and dreams finally become reality, as many of our beneficiaries here have waited for such a development for a long time. As we commemorate Women’s Month, this IRDP is a product of what 20 000 women marched for back in 1956. To live in a non-racial and fully integrated society, one that gives recognition to all.”
Majority of the beneficiaries were above the age of 60 years, in line with the Department’s standard beneficiary prioritization processes. “I am delighted to have handed out these houses to our elderly people and that we kept to the timelines we set out in 2019. I look forward to returning here to hand over more keys to deserving beneficiaries in th near future,” concluded Simmers.
