09 Dec 2013

The public has been urged to have compassion for the less privileged members of the society and give regardless of how small the gift may be.

This was said by coordinator of the President’s Housing Appeal Col Duke Masilo at the handover of five houses built by Mascom cellular company recently at Tsolamosese.

Mr Masilo said people tended to shy away from donating and left the benevolent gesture to companies. “Our collective efforts can go a long way in ensuring that those who are in dire need of accommodation are built as many houses as there can be,” he said.

Mr Masilo said the Presidenst Housing Appeal project had come up with an initiative to empower skilled builders in the locality where the building project is taking place to be the ones constructing the houses.

He however appealed to builders to take part in the housing appeal initiative by not charging exorbitant prices as was the tendency with building companies.

He said by charging reasonably, the builders would be helping to drive the programme.Mascom chief communications and public relations officer Ms Tebogo Lebotse said her company has donated 17 houses to date since 2010 as a way of planting back in communities.

She said the company spent more than P400 000 on the five houses built in Tsolamosese. She further said the company had pledged five more houses for 201 and will be guided by the same committee as to where the houses shall be built.

Area MP and assistant minister in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development Mr Patrick Masimolole thanked Mascom wireless company for the donation and appealed to the beneficiaries not to sell the houses.

Ms Dipuo Mashaba, a beneficiary could not hide her joy and expressed gratitude to the President and Mascom company for their support and restoration of dignity to her family.

She explained that she had been left homeless and in the cold as her relatives abandoned her because of her mentally challenged children.

Another beneficiary 21 year old Samson Ngorima explained he was left homeless after his parents died while he was still very young and he was left to care for his other three younger siblings.

He said he contacted social welfare office when he was doing form one for help and that was how he was selected to be among the five beneficiaries.

He also thanked Mascom company for changing his family’s life for the better. A total of P1 500 000 million has already been spent on the President’s Housing appeal. Ends