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Houses cement hope Better living conditions in Caledon Park
} Tladi Moloi FICKSBURG. – While most South Africans are celebrating the 20th anniversary of democracy and freedom, Julia Frees of Caledon Park near Ficksburg has not had reason to celebrate. She has described her situation as having lived in a cave with no privacy for 20 years. Frees has been sharing a four-roomed house with her neighbours. “We have been living in that house because we have no alternative. It is like a cave,” she says. Apparently, these houses were built by the apartheid government. They are four-roomed houses with two outside doors. Two families live in each house, separated only by the wall. However, life will be different from now on for 20 families in Caledon as these houses will be demolished. Some of the houses have already been demolished and five-room houses are being built, courtesy of Operation Hlasela. The houses were demolished last Tuesday by the Free State Provincial Government, led by Premier Ace Magashule, during the Operation Hlasela Outreach Campaign in the township of Meqheleng in Ficksburg. The families whose houses have been demolished are being housed in the shelters which were temporarily built for them by the Setsoto Local Municipality. “I am over the moon, even though the house is not complete. I never thought that one day the ANC government would do this for me,” said Frees. She said the condition of the house that they were living in were not conducive to a good life. “Life was very hard in that house. You could see the neighbour through the wall and obviously there was no privacy.”
ACE MAGASHULE (in yellow), the premier of the Free State, with some members of his government looking at the fiveroom houses being built for the people of Caledon Park, No 1 in Ficksburg. Photo: Tladi Moloi Although overjoyed at finally having a house she can call her own, the mother of three said she was also worried that her husband who had disappeared many years ago might come back to claim the house. “I am afraid. I am wondering what will happen should my husband come back and claim ownership of the house. He is now living in Johannesburg with another woman,” she said.
Frees said the house was registered with the husband who did not want to come home anymore. “We came here after he was given the house by his cousin. So it is clear that he can come at any time and do as he wishes.” However, the premier promised her that would never happen. “He can’t kick you out of the house. We will make sure that we register the house
in your name. We’ll build this house for you,” he said. When asked why they were demolishing houses instead of building for those who did not have a house, he said, “We don’t want to see those kraals which people refer to as houses. We want people to live in quality houses. “We’ll keep on building for our people. They should be taken closer to the towns,” he said.