South Africa: Sassa Pensioner Builds Her Own House Faster Than the Government

Nomonde Mboyi lost two mud houses when heavy winds and rain hit Mbizana in 2019. The government promised a replacement, but its brick-and-mortar house in Ndakeni remains unfinished. It has only a foundation and part of its walls. The delay matters because Mboyi still needs secure, weatherproof housing.

Rather than wait, Mboyi made mud bricks herself. She used her old-age grant to buy building materials and pay labour. Saving took months, so construction progressed slowly. Her own two-room house now needs outside plastering and final touch-ups. She planned to move in during December.

The unfinished government house also affects basic services. Mboyi said Eskom could not install electricity because the building was not waterproof. Residents offered to complete the houses themselves, but were told to wait. The contractor later left, and the department said it planned to restart the project.

A social grant is a government payment provided to eligible people to help meet basic living costs. In Mboyi's case, the relevant support was an old-age grant. The article does not give the grant's amount, but it shows how essential the payment became when the promised house was delayed.

Mboyi used the grant to buy building materials and pay labourers. She also made the mud bricks herself. Because the money was limited, she had to save for months before continuing each stage. This made construction slow, but it allowed her to keep building a two-room house instead of waiting indefinitely.

Her house was nearly ready, needing outside plastering and final touch-ups. She planned to move in during December. The example shows how a grant can help someone act during a housing failure, while also revealing the financial strain placed on a person who must fund construction from limited income.

The Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements planned to replace storm-damaged homes with 200 houses. The project covered households across the region affected by the 2019 storms. It was appointed to ZIBSIPRO (Pty) Ltd in 2023 and was valued at about R34-million.

The reported budget worked out to approximately R170,000 per house. The houses were intended for people whose homes had been damaged or destroyed by heavy winds and rain in the Mbizana region. Mboyi was one of the intended beneficiaries in Ndakeni.

Despite the scale and stated budget, not one of the 200 houses had been completed when the report was published. Some sites had foundations or partial walls, but residents said the contractor left in November the previous year. The department said it planned to reinstate the project and prioritise homes where construction had already started.

The Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements said it terminated ZIBSIPRO's contract during the 2025/26 financial year. Its stated reason was poor performance. The department said the project would be reinstated, with houses already under construction receiving priority if funding allowed.

ZIBSIPRO director Palesa Phara gave a different explanation. She said the department owed the company payment for a year, making it financially impossible to continue. She also said payment rules changed from milestone payments to payment only after a unit was finished. That left the company paying workers and buying materials without matching income.

Phara acknowledged receiving a letter of default and said ZIBSIPRO tried to transfer the work to a subcontractor, but the department rejected that verbally. She also cited delayed approvals, technical investigations, rain, and work across 34 villages. She said construction effectively began around October 2024.

When replacement homes remain unfinished, storm victims do not receive the safe housing they were promised. Some must continue living in damaged structures or find another solution. The article describes households in Mbizana that lost mud houses during the 2019 storms, while the replacement programme still had no completed homes.

Mboyi's remaining stick-and-mud house had a leaking roof and holes in its walls. She began building her own house with her old-age grant because the government project stalled. Electricity could not be installed at the unfinished government house because it was not waterproof.

The consequences also include uncertainty and frustration. Community leader Nontokozo Nyombo said many beneficiaries relied mainly on social grants and were desperate for housing. Residents offered to finish the houses themselves but were told to wait. The contractor left, while the department said it planned to restart construction, depending on funding.

Government housing must meet technical and administrative requirements before construction can proceed. Soil and geotechnical tests help determine suitable foundations. Design approvals and building-regulation approvals must also be secured. These steps can delay physical work, especially when a project covers many scattered sites.

ZIBSIPRO said investigations, soil assessments, approvals, and a redesign of an over-engineered foundation delayed construction. The company also said conditional approvals from the National Home Builders Registration Council were needed. It reported that work across 34 villages and heavy rain created further difficulties.

Funding and payment rules can create another bottleneck. Phara said the department verbally instructed the company to slow down because funds were insufficient. She also said payments changed from construction milestones to payment after a complete unit. The contractor then had to pay workers and buy materials before receiving money, increasing pressure on operations.

In general, a public housing programme begins by identifying households that qualify, such as people whose homes were destroyed in a disaster. Officials then plan the number of homes, estimate costs, secure funding, and allocate the project to a region. The department appoints a contractor through its procurement process.

The contractor prepares sites, completes required investigations and approvals, and builds the houses. Department officials should supervise progress, check quality, confirm stages, and process payments under the contract. In this case, the department appointed ZIBSIPRO in 2023 to build 200 houses for about R34-million across the Eastern Cape.

The article shows what can happen when this chain breaks down. ZIBSIPRO cited delayed approvals, difficult logistics, funding shortages, and changed payment arrangements. The department cited poor performance and terminated the contract. It said the project would be reinstated, prioritising houses already started and depending on funding for others.