Harsh reality of life in Welbedacht

JUSTIN Chinsamy shares a one bedroom tin house with his wife, Zakhia Khan, and their three children.

Chinsamy, 32, who has lived in the community all his life and remembers the area as a farming community, did not complete matric and has failed to pin down a full-time job.

To provide for his family, he has been going door to door selling women’s cosmetics.

“I come from a big family and my brothers and sisters all have children of their own. My parents received an RDP house a few years ago but it was not big enough to accommodate all of us, so I decided to build my home on the same property and moved in with my wife and children.”

He said the structure, which was built with tin and wood, was located on a slope.

“We have one small room and use curtains to divide that room into a little kitchen, bedroom and lounge.

“We have no electricity, running water or sanitation.

“When we need to bath or use the toilet, we have to use the facilities at my parents’ home.”

Chinsamy said life was difficult.

“We have nothing. My home is falling apart. When it rains, water gets into the house and everything gets wet and damp.”

He said his youngest child suffered with epilepsy and during a seizure, they used to take him to the clinic at the nearby Sarva Dharma Ashram.

“But now it’s closed and RK Khan Hospital is too far away. We don’t have money for taxi fare, so we are coping as best as we can.”

Chinsamy said he tried to apply for an RDP house but to date, has not received feedback.

“If the government cannot give us these houses then why can’t they provide us with building material, so we can build our own homes,” he