From leaky bungalow to dream home: Wheelchair user’s 6-year wait ends

Thobile Saza and his wife, Thenjiwe, outside their new government house in Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay. Photo: Joseph Chirume

More than six years after Thobile Saza and his family were relocated to temporary housing in Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay, they have finally moved into the house they were promised.

The Saza family was one of hundreds of households moved during the de-densification project launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the covid pandemic. The plan was to reduce overcrowding in informal settlements to mitigate the spread of the disease. Many of those relocated were disabled, sick or elderly people. The relocation also included child-headed families. They were moved into bungalows on serviced land that had taps, toilets, electricity and roads, ready for formal housing.

In July last year, GroundUp reported that Saza, his wife and son had been living in a leaking bungalow since 2020. Saza, who is a wheelchair user, said his bungalow had become dilapidated.

In March, Saza’s dream of having a proper house came true when he moved into a completed five-room home with a wheelchair ramp, built where his leaking bungalow once stood.

“I am over the moon. I went through a painful experience living in that zinc and wooden structure. It was very cold. Wind, dust and rain would enter through gaps in the roof, walls and floor. I was often ill from the cold because I couldn’t afford electricity or paraffin for the heater,” said Saza.

Before relocating to NU30, Saza and his family had lived in several informal settlements in Gqeberha.

“This house is durable, comfortable, and warm. It has been my long-held desire to live a normal life, just like other homeowners,” Saza told GroundUp.

His wife, Thenjiwe, said, “I used to struggle pushing his wheelchair into the small outside toilet, but this house has an indoor toilet with enough space for a wheelchair. That had been our dream.”

More about Housing

• “We were promised houses, but we are still living in mud” 05 May 2026
• Johannesburg has spent ten years hiring consultants while Slovo Park families wait 05 May 2026
• Cape Town struggles to relocate Khayelitsha families living on sinkholes 01 May 2026

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