BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla has come to the rescue of two elderly people when she handed them two new houses.
Gogo Siphiwe Mavuso (66) and Mkhulu Moses Mncina (74) were given their houses today (Thursday, December 5, 2024), in an event attended by several important people. They included Mvuma Chief Prince Kekela, Ndzingeni Member of Parliament (MP) Gcina Magagula, and Senator Siphelele Mkhonta. DPMO Principal Secretary (PS) Siboniso Nkambule was also present.
Certain performances were also rendered during the event by the youth of the area, showing that people were happy for the elderly people. The two elderly people are residents of Ndzingeni Constituency. Mavuso will move into her new two-roomed house, while Mncina will also move into his three-roomed house. They are all expected to move in today.
The two elderly people could not hold their joy when the houses were handed to them. They thanked the DPM, saying she continue landing a helping hand even to other people. They also asked the DPM to express their words of thanks to the entire Government and the entire nation. They further asked them to express gratitude on their behalf to Their Majesties, as they were aware that they always wanted elderly people to be taken care of.
Addressing the elderly people, Dladla said what they were doing was what they were assigned by Their Majesties, whom she described as people who wanted lives of the elderly people to improve. Dladla further told those present at the event that the assignment given to them by Their Majesties was informed by what was said by the nation during Sibaya, which was in October and November last year.
Dladla said during Sibaya, Emaswati made it clear that elderly people should be among Emaswati who needed to be taken care of because their situation was dire. Some of them lived under terrible conditions. Mavuso and Mncina, for instance, were living in dilapidated structures, which made one wonder how they managed to survive under such makeshift houses.
Continuing with her remarks, the DPM assured the elderly people that they were in the hearts of Their Majesties. She advised them not to listen to anyone who would want to tell them otherwise. She said they should be proud of who they were as Emaswati and should never allow anyone to make them feel ashamed of being Emaswati.
Dladla also advised the youth never to be ashamed of being Emaswati, especially because many people tried to talk things that were not true about Eswatini and its culture and tradition. She further advised them to put education first, as they would need knowledge gained through education to develop this country. She described them as the future of the country, who would be the ones making decisions on how this country had to be developed, moving forward. It was only with education that they could be able to do that.
Dladla thanked all those who took their time to be part of the event, thanking them for taking their time to be part of this historic moment. She further thanked all the staff members of the DPMO for always assisting her in implementing what was supposed to be done, stating that she would not be able to do what she did without them.
