Durban - For a once destitute man, it was a blessing when the eThekwini Municipality’s land invasion unit removed him and others living along the river’s edge in Mayville.
Sagaypatchappende Govender, 52, was given an RDP home in Cornubia and his luck, it seemed, was finally turning around.
However, disaster struck when he learnt the house was instead allocated to his ex-wife, who he had divorced 10 years earlier.
“I applied for the house after our divorce but never received feedback, so I built a small shack in Mayville.
"The next thing, we were being removed by the land invasion unit. I had no idea where I would go but the city’s former mayor, James Nxumalo, said we would be accommodated in an RDP home in Cornubia.”
He told his ex-wife and two children to move in with him as they were living in an informal settlement in Cato Manor after their divorce in 2008.
“Even though she was my ex-wife, I could not see her, and more especially our children, suffer. They also needed a safe place to stay.”
His ex-wife, Roshilla Govender, 53, said she had also applied for an RDP home and was placed on a waiting list.
“I was happy when he allowed us to share the home with him but I still wanted a place of my own.
"I approached the Department of Housing in 2016 and after informing them that I was now living in Cornubia, they asked me to complete some paperwork and told me I was now the home’s owner.
“This did not make sense. They issued me a house that they had already allocated to my ex and we ended up being co-owners.”
Sagaypatchappende added that although he was shocked at the turn of events, he was lucky it was Roshilla instead of a stranger.
“We have decided to live under the same roof because it’s better than being on the streets.”
Sagaypatchappende and Roshilla, who are both unemployed, said they were grateful to the city for helping them in their time of need.
The couple’s unemployed daughter, Claudette, 22, said she attempted to apply for a home last year and this year, but was turned away.
“We are living below the poverty line and meet the criteria for free housing,” she said.
“There is a lot of corruption within the system. It’s all about who you know and what power that person has. Then only will you be helped.”
Their son no longer lives with them.