The house that friendship built
EVERY time there has been heavy rain or howling wind in the last 15 years, Phumelele Ndlovu, 53, has had to rebuild her house in Ndwedwe, just outside Verulam.
With the recent bad storms and heavy floods, one section of her house was blown down and her home completely flooded.
For Ndlovu it was one storm too many, she had reached a point of total despair and friend Tarryn Jolly, 23 decided it was time to step in and help.
Jolly’s mother runs a baby shelter and it’s there she and Phumi, the primary baby carer, met and became friends.
Jolly said “whenever I got home from school and, later, varsity, Phumi and I always had such long chats and we became close friends She always has the biggest smile and is such a wonderful person.
“When I came home one day after the heavy rains, I could see she was pale and upset. She told me her house was broken and she just couldn’t fix it anymore.
“Everything has a solution, so I asked her what she needed and she said bricks.
“I don’t have money to buy bricks, so I decided to start an initiative to get her bricks,” said Jolly.
And that’s what she did and managed to get the necessary 10 000 bricks with her One Brick campaign on Facebook.
When The Independent on Saturday visited Ndlovu yesterday, two local builders were on site measuring for the foundations.
A delighted Ndlovu said she could not believe that after so many years of living with her walls collapsing and her rooms being flooded, she was going to have a solid house.
“Every time it’s windy or raining, we could never sleep as the house breaks. I am so happy,” she said.
Jolly added, “Now we have the bricks, but we need all the other materials needed to build the house and I would like to appeal to anyone to come forward and help,” she said.
Anyone willing to assist, can call her on: 083 300 9267 or visit Facebook/One Brick.