The long wait for her own home has been hard, says 75-year-old Georgina Apollis. She has always dreamt that the day would come.
And she’s filled with new hope for a brighter future for herself and her family says this mother of five and grandmother of 18.
“I was waiting 50 years for this house. For this opportunity. And God blessed me with this house. I felt the joy in my heart. I was bursting with joy. I couldn’t explain even how I felt inside,” said Georgina Boois, a housing beneficiary.
“We were struggling and struggling for years. And now this year, 2017, it became a reality,” said Ronwin Kiewiets, housing beneficiary.
The City of Cape Town has subsidized the housing project for the construction of a two-bedroom house with an open-plan kitchen, dining room & bathroom.
The Mayor of Cape Town said The City was delighted to be able to restore the dignity of the women and their families especially during Women’s Month in the country.
“I’m just very happy to see the smiles on those faces, you know. And the hope. You know, giving people hope again. And the flame of hope must never disappear. And that is what I experienced today in the Month of Women. Just to see women happy,” said Patricia De Lille, executive mayor of Cape Town.
Before moving into their newly-built homes, most of the women grew up and raised their families in small wooden or tin shacks on someone else’s land.
The project will deliver homes to nearly 200 families in the next few months. And the mayor urged the new home-owners to take good care of their properties so they can someday pass it on to their children or grandchildren.
“Our late Tanya Madiba had said that we wanted to build one million homes within the first five years, after we attained our freedom. And we set out to achieve just that,” said Patricia De Lille, executive mayor of Cape Town.
“God gave this house to me. And I can just say, after so many years. This is my house. I’m the boss of this house,” said Georgina Boois, a housing beneficiary.
