Blind busker gets proper home at last

Cape Town-160817 George Saliti an old and blind resident who is also a busker who has always been a backyarder in Mkhaza, finaly has a house of his own after the department of human settlement gave his keys to him today at Pelican Park.He played couple of gospel songs with his arcodian and his favourite "Mbonge uYehova Mphefumlo wam" .pic Phando Jikelo

Cape Town-160817 George Saliti an old and blind resident who is also a busker who has always been a backyarder in Mkhaza, finaly has a house of his own after the department of human settlement gave his keys to him today at Pelican Park.He played couple of gospel songs with his arcodian and his favourite "Mbonge uYehova Mphefumlo wam" .pic Phando Jikelo

Published Aug 18, 2016

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A BLIND man, George Saliti, rejoiced when he moved to a formal house in Pelican Park on Wednesday after spending more than two decades living in a shack in Khayelitsha.

Waiting anxiously to step into his new home, the 68-year-old pensioner said his dignity has been restored.

One of his greatest fears of living alone in the shack was what would happen if disaster struck.

Saliti’s disabled-friendly house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a lounge and a bathroom.

Saliti has lived in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, since 1996 and was part of the Human Settlements Department’s focus when prioritising the elderly, child-headed homes and those with special needs in housing allocations.

Saliti, whose livelihood is entirely dependent on hand-outs and the busking he does at shopping malls across the city, said it took him 10 years to be allocated a house.

He was born with sight, but went blind at the age of three.

Saliti said when he learnt in May that he would be provided with a formal house, he felt overjoyed at the thought of having a house of his own which would not be affected by floods during winter.

In the last five years, he said, he has heard from many politicians who visited his shack, promising him a decent home, and was thankful for receiving the gift of a two-bedroom house and would take good care of it.

“My dignity has been restored,” he said.

“I would not like to die without ever owning a house. Living in a shack is unsafe and very terrible. I will cherish the house.”

Saliti’s son Onke, 31, who lived in a one-roomed shack kilometres away from his father, said he was grateful that his father eventually obtained a decent house.

Saliti’s former landlady, Nomakhwezi Jacob, said she took care of and protected the “vulnerable” Saliti, although taking care of him was hard because he cannot go far unsupervised.

“Our hearts are filled with joy. We are happy for him,” said Jacob.

Handing over the house to Saliti, MPL Masizole Mnqasela said it was better late than never for Saliti.

“We need to respond where we are needed the most,” said Mnqasela.

He said the project reflects the department’s vision of social integration, in which beneficiaries drawn from
different interest groups and areas are provided housing opportunities together.

Department spokesperson Zalisi Mbali said Saliti’s situation was in line with the provincial Human Settlements Department’s programme to assist the destitute, particularly senior citizens.

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