Cape Town - Siblings Luto, 17, and Sisanda Vukwana, 21, received the keys to their brand new house in Leiden, Delft on Monday, after years of struggling on their own since the death of their parents.
The house was handed over by Police Minister Bheki Cele and SAPS National Commissioner, Fannie Masemola.
The siblings have been without a stable place to live since their parents died around five years ago, leaving Sisanda to care for her and her brother.
As a child-headed household, they received minimal support from family and have been reliant on social grants.
Old Mutual and Gift of the Givers were among the sponsors of the house.
Sisanda said the journey for her and her brother had not been easy.
“I looked for help, but no one could really assist me or my brother.
“It was when I met sis Nozuko that everything changed.
“She helped us get the necessary attention and be considered for this project.”
She said they suffered violence from their biological aunt in the past, who forcefully broke down their previous shelter, which left them vulnerable.
Cele said he noted the vulnerability of the Vukwana’s, who were left to fend for themselves.
“A human being is a human through another person, no matter who you are.
“Today, this has been made possible through us humans,” he said.
“This area is known for crime. When I come to the Western Cape, this is normally the place that I need to go. But today that is a different story, a story of hope,” said Cele.
Masemola urged residents in Delft to look out for child-headed households.
Statistics showed that in South Africa there were over 44 000 children living in child-only homes in 2022.
This while nationally, 11.6% of children were classified as orphans.
StatsSA recorded that 2.2% of children lost their mothers, 7.% of children had lost their fathers, and 2.4% of children lost both parents.
The percentage of orphaned children was highest in the Eastern Cape at 15.2% and Free State at 13.7%, while the figure stood at 8.8% in the Western Cape.
“These individuals must be cared for by the community at large, and this being here is the job of us SAPS for the Delft community,” said Masemola.
Cele added that he would like to see Luto return to school to provide him with an education.
StatsSA noted that households were profoundly important to the developmental, emotional and cognitive growth of children.
grecia.mgolombane@inl.co.za