A NEEDY family of four in Praktiseer in Sekhukhune, Limpopo will have a beautiful Christmas.
This after the family, who lost their mother in 2014, received a house on Tuesday, 19 December from members of the South African Police Services (SAPS).
The house was built with the help of Botlokwa station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Elizabeth Magoa. This after an article about the kids pleading for help was published earlier in 2023.
Magoa said she saw the need to change the kids’ lives after reading the article while she was still a captain in Mpumalanga. She then found a sponsor and used her hard-earned cash to build the family a house.
“I thought to myself, when I die and my kids say that they are orphans with no parents, are they really supposed to go through all the suffering because they have no parents? The answer that came to me was no because I'm also a parent.
"Looking at the badge that I'm wearing, it's written South African Police Service which authorises me to function wherever I am within the country. Nevertheless, I was based in Mpumalanga and went knocking and some Good Samaritans heard my cry and came on board. They agreed to help me assist the kids,” said Magoa.
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She said that the project started around January 2023 and her aim was to finish the house before April 2023. But it was only completed now due to unforeseen circumstances.
“Through my daughter's help, the first born among the four orphans, got an internship and he's now working,” she said.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe said: “We live in a world where inequality and hardships persist, and it's our duty as members of society to uplift and support those who are less fortunate and struggling.
“This event goes beyond just providing a physical structure. It symbolises hope, love, unity and positive change in our communities. Community policing involves more than maintaining law and order. It requires actively engaging with the people we serve on the ground. It's through these interactions that we become aware of vulnerable families' challenges like the one receiving support today. As part of the goodwill initiative, it's our responsibility to extend a helping hand towards the less fortunate."
One of the family members, Tumi Selahle (22) told Daily Sun they survived on his siblings' child grants before Magoa intervened. His siblings are aged nine, 12 and 14.
He said things were not easy after they lost their parents and things got worse after their gogo died.
“We didn’t have a great upbringing. It was tough to a point that I had to ask a relative to get me a stand where I'd live with my siblings. We got the stand and built our one room shack. But the shack started to leak as time went by and exposed us to rain,” he said.
He told Daily Sun that he's grateful that he finally has a job that will help him take care of his siblings and is also thankful for the new roof over their heads.
