FIVE years ago, Michael Shekeshe was happy to move out of his shack and into his late wife's RDP house.
But his happiness was short-lived as he now fears living in the house. He fears the house might fall on him at any time because it's cracking and the inside wall plaster is peeling off.
The house was registered under his late wife's name in 2013. However, the 69-year-old madala from Zone 2 in Mountainview near KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga said he is even thinking of going back to his shack.
He told Daily Sun the house needs a lot of money to fix, which he doesn't have.
"The house poses serious danger to me. It's cracking and I'm no longer safe in it. It might collapse on me at any time. The warmth I got from the house all these years will soon be over if it's not fixed.
"It was nice for me and my late wife moving from a shack to the house, but I'm thinking of going back to my shack even though life wasn't easy. At least it's not going to kill me," he said.
Madala Michael is pleading with government to help him fix the house as he doesn't have the money to do it himself.
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However, Mpumalanga Human Settlements spokesman Freddy Ngobe said according to the Housing Consumer Protection Measures Act of 1995, a house is covered for three months for the maintenance of patent snags, one year for roof leak warranty and five years for structural warranty.
"In this case, the beneficiary received the house in 2013, which is more than 10 years now. Therefore, it can't be covered by government. The department would like to advise the beneficiary to explore other means to attend to the matter as it is prohibited by the Housing Act to intervene on such a matter given the years that have already lapsed," he said.
