Economic Mishaps Impacts Emlanjeni Housing Cooperative
Close to 105 women from Esigodini who benefited from Umzingwane Rural District Council’s housing stands for low income earners, have expressed concern over the ever-fluctuating exchange rates which have made it hard for them to complete the construction their houses within the period of five years as expected by the local authority.
Out of a total of 230 stands, 105 stands were allocated to women and 75% of the women have fully paid for the stands while 25% are still in the process of settling their payment.
Women who spoke to Infocus News said they had resorted to forming clubs that will help them tackle the financial constraints that hinder them from finishing their projects.
Memory Ncube (34), said most women are struggling to keep up with the club monthly fees as most of them depend on buying and reselling goods.
“We need a lot of money to finish our houses but we cannot afford it as individuals. That is why we formed clubs where we are going to be giving each other money to buy building materials. Some of us however, are unable to keep up with the payments which makes it hard for us,” she said.
The Treasurer of Emlanjeni Housing Cooperative, Enetty Phiri (42), said water shortages have also halted the process for women who had started building their houses.
“This area is dry and we have no water sources. We fetch our water from very faraway places when building. This has led us to buy water at $USD10 dollars for three drums which is another cost added to our existing costs. We call on the Council to drill boreholes so that our work is made easy and even for those already staying in their houses,” said Phiri.
Vice Chairperson of Emlanjeni Housing Cooperative, Nomusa Maphosa said women feared that URDC will repossess their stands without any refunds made to them.
“URDC told us that it will repossess the stands if women fail to pay up and we think that the time they gave us should be extended so that everyone is able to pay in full.
“URDC introduced a four-year lease that women are eligible to pay. This also adds to the financial stress on women. The fees are on the rise and some women who benefitted from the housing project are far behind on their payments,” said Maphosa.
Godswill Mthethwa who is the Chairperson of the Cooperative said his committee will engage with URDC to extend the time period for women to complete the process of developing houses.
“As a committee we will go back to the Council and plead with them to extend the timeframe so that these women are able to work for money. Some women depend on vending as they sell clothes and right now their incomes are limited. That is why we will engage the Council so that they are able to pay and keep their houses,” said Mthethwa.
Others expressed concerns over their safety citing how much they continue to live in fear as the area is a mining town.
“This area has a lot of artisanal miners and with their history, as women we fear for our lives. Some of us who have completed building our houses have already moved in. We fear that in the absence of our husbands we may easily be raped or killed,” said Enetty Ncube.