MAN SHARES ONE-ROOM WITH FAMILY OF 10

MSHINGISHINGINI – A night watchman, Thomas Dlamini from Mshingishini in the northern Hhohho region, has been forced to share a dilapidated one-room share with his nine children and wife.

This was after his family house was destroyed by the heavy storm that wreaked havoc on the eve of the secondary general elections to usher the current 11th parliament into power. This means the man has been sharing the one-room with his large family for over a year now. It does not end there, as the family is without electricity after the lines connected to the house were also destroyed by the same storm before the cables were allegedly stolen by unknown people, allegedly for copper wire purposes. Narrating his desperate situation on Tuesday afternoon at the homestead, Dlamini said sharing the one-room house with nine children and his wife for over a year has been nothing but a traumatic experience.

The soft-spoken Dlamini told this publication that five of the children are females while four are males. He said three of his children are currently attending primary school, while three are in high school. He further revealed that E5 000 was required as school fees for each of the three attending high school. This, he said, means that he needed a budget of E15 000 for all of them, which covers the entire year.

Asked how he was able to raise this money in light of his job which pays him less than E2 000, the man said this would not have been possible without the donations from residents and concerned citizens of the country. “With the money that I am earning, I cannot afford to pay school fees for all my children. “So, I have to ask for assistance and fortunately, I am blessed with residents who have good hearts. If it is not money they are donating for school fees, then it is food parcels to ensure we do not sleep on empty stomachs. They understand our situation and have been very supportive since that storm which destroyed our house and left us with nothing, save for the one-room,” Dlamini said.   

 Reported

Mshingishingini chiefdom is under the Ntfonjeni Constituency. The man’s plight has already been reported to the area’s inkhundla council chaired by Indvuna Mandla Magagula. The area’s Member of Parliament (MP) Raymond Dlamini and Bucopho Manqoba Mavuso have also been made aware of the man’s difficult situation. It has been further uncovered that because of the low salary he was earning as a watchman at one of the local primary schools, the man was now living through the mercy of kind-hearted residents, who are donate food parcels to keep the family going.

“Unfortunately, two of my children had to drop out of school, as I could not afford to pay their school fees, while the other one has completed. It is difficult to even explain to my two children why they are not going to school, it is very sad to watch them go through such an experience. Despite my financial position, I was determined to do everything possible for all of them to finish school but there is nothing I can do,” Dlamini lamented.

Dlamini still recalls vividly how his house was destroyed by the heavy storm on that fateful day, thanking God that nobody was in the house when it happened. “No one was injured because when the storm happened, we were not in the house. We only found the remains of what we used to call our home,” he added. Further gathered is that some residents have teamed up to assist with concrete blocks, which they hope will be used for the construction of a new structure. “As I said, some residents are supporting me the best way they can and have helped me with the bricks to build a new structure. It is still obviously a long way to go before I can have enough material to start the construction. God has blessed me with building skills and my biggest challenge now is clearing the area on my premises so that I can start putting in place the foundation,” Dlamini said.

Work

When asked how he was able to find quality time with his wife given that the room was crowded, he said this was not a big problem. “I work as a night watchman and so I am able to find time with my wife when returning home in the morning because the children are usually not around,” Dlamini said. Ntfonjeni Indvuna Yenkhundla Mandla Magagula confirmed that the council is aware of Dla- mini’s dire situation, promising that they are not resting on their laurels on this matter. “

We went to his homestead to assess the situation with the some council members including the MP and Bucopho from the area. The family is living under tough conditions and we saw that for ourselves. We have assured man of the family that as a council, we will be looking for help to assist them. We definitely will be sending a SOS to the DPM’s office,” Magagula said. Magagula admitted that Dlamini was working as a night watchman at a local primary school, pointing out that, “in reality, that is a low-paying job which cannot take care of 11 family members.” Mshingishini Bucopho Manqoba Mavuso lamented the family’s situation, and appealed for assistance on their behalf.

Reality

“This is my home area and so, I know what the family is going through. Imagine sharing a one-room with ten people, how is that even possible? Unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation but through God’s grace, help will eventually come. More than anything, the family needs a new home and then food donations. It is difficult for the man to feed his family while working as a security guard, the salary is not enough,” Mavuso stated. A resident, who claimed to have known the family in question for over a decade, said they have suffered a lot.

“Thomas struggled a lot to build the house that was unfortunately destroyed by the heavy storm. The family needs our help as a community and we have been extending it to them whenever possible. My appeal is for government to help this family, they need it desperately,” the resident, who claimed to be a farmer, said.  The chiefdoms under Ntfonjeni are Emvembili, Evusweni, kaHhelehhele, kaHhohho, kaLoshiyo, kaNdwandwe and Mshingishingini. It is estimated that this constituency has a population of over 21 142 people. The affected family’s home is situated next to the Sigweba Mountain.

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