03 Mar 2013

Seventy-six year-old, Ms Seiphimolo Galerongwe of Tonota will this coming winter be safe from the cold weather after Tonota Police Station officers decided to build a house for her.    

Briefing the audience at the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a two and half house on Friday, the project coordinator, Assistant Superintendent Ms Emisang Makwati said they discovered the old woman on their routine visit to their policing areas.

She said the old woman lives in a dilapidated one room house with her orphan granddaughter who has three children.               

Ms Makwati said together with other officers at the station, were touched by the state of the old woman, who at the same time is not a beneficiary of the government food basket facilitated by social workers.               

She said they decided to make an effort to change the life of the woman and her grandchildren, hence they decided to partner with the community to build her a safer house.

She added that since the house project was going to take some time, as they will be seeking assistance from the community and the business sector, they therefore gave her food parcels last Christmas.               

She noted that so far they have received a positive response from the community at large and their project was on schedule.

Furthermore, she said they were confident that at the beginning of the winter season in April, the house will be completed, noting that different stakeholders have contributed almost all the required building materials for the house, which is worth about P60 000.            

 G4S Security has helped connect water in the yard, while a double pit latrine toilet was built by Kagiso Funeral Parlour.  The construction of the house will be done for free by Shashe Brigade and the Department of Building and Engineering Services (DBES).                 

Appreciating the efforts done by the police officers, the MP for Tonota South, Mr Pono Moatlhodi, who also provided the fencing for the yard said he was proud of the officers’ gesture.              

 “You are leaving a legacy, which even if you have relocated to another place you will remain celebrated here,” he said.

He however, said he was worried by situations whereby even though family members have neglected the old woman, upon her passing on, the same people who have neglected her will come to make claims for the house.              

MP Moatlhodi, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly appealed to the local authorities to be on the lookout for such people and let the law take its course.ENDS