Mhlambanyatsi – Proper shelter for vulnerable citizens remains a key priority for His Majesty King Mswati III, the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office has said. This commitment was reinforced yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla officially handed over two new houses to struggling families in the Mhlambanyatsi and Mangcongco constituencies.
The first beneficiary, 56-year-old widow Bawinile Phakathi from Zandondo under Mhlambanyatsi Inkhundla, received a fully furnished two-room house after her old home became unsafe in 2022 due to collapsing walls and severe cracks.
“When it rains, I never sleep because I fear the house will fall on me and my children,” she said tearfully during the handover. “Today, I am happy to have a beautiful and safe home. I thank the DPM and her team for remembering me.”
Phakathi lives with two of her children and grandchildren and survives as a hawker. To help her settle, Walk by Faith Church donated five blankets, while the DPM’s Office pledged to fence the yard and build a makeshift kitchen.
The second home was presented to 77-year-old Robert Mbholwane Mabuza from Mabhukwini, Mangcongco Inkhundla. His previous stick-and-mud house collapsed last year, leaving him temporarily sheltered and fed by neighbours.
“Before it fell, the house leaked badly, and I slept covered in plastic,” Mabuza recounted. “My children moved away out of fear, and I was living alone.”
Dladla said many households across Eswatini still need proper housing, especially after heavy rains destroyed homes earlier this year. She said government, through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), continues to assess affected areas and construct safe homes for vulnerable families.
Both recipients received beds and wardrobes from Montigny Company and food parcels from the DPM’s Office.
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