BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MHLUMENI– A single visit by Deputy Prime Minister Senator Thulisile Dladla has sparked a life changing moment for three vulnerable children from the Mngometulu family after she pledged to build them a new home, replacing the fragile stick and mud shelter they have called home for years.
The promise was made on Wednesday after Lubombo Member of Parliament Joseph Souza drew the Deputy Prime Minister’s attention to the family’s situation during the launch of the Food for Work Programme in Mhlumeni. Determined to see the conditions herself, Senator Dladla travelled straight to the homestead.
There she met 18 year old Gcinile Mngometulu, who shoulders responsibilities far beyond her age. She is raising her five month old baby while caring for her 16 year old sibling after both were forced to leave school because of difficult family circumstances.
As they spoke, Gcinile quietly shared how they survive each day. She explained that their father, who lives at kaMzilikazi in Siteki, buys groceries and leaves them at a local shop for collection but no longer stays with the family. Asked about the father of her baby, she said she did not know where he was.
The visit deeply moved the Deputy Prime Minister.
“No child deserves to grow up in these conditions. We cannot leave them like this,” she said before announcing that construction of a new house would begin the following day.
Officials accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that building materials and a construction team would be mobilised immediately, ensuring that the family’s long wait for a safe home would soon come to an end.
MP Souza said he could not ignore what he had witnessed during his earlier visit to the homestead. He welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s swift response, saying it demonstrated government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable children and restoring hope where it is needed most.
For Gcinile, her sibling and her baby, the promise of a new home means far more than bricks and roofing sheets. It represents safety, dignity and the chance to rebuild their lives with hope instead of uncertainty.
What began as a call for help has become a powerful reminder that when compassionate leadership meets community action, lives can change. For the Mngometulu family, the future now looks brighter than it did just a day before.
#EswatiniPositiveNews #HopeInAction #LeavingNoOneBehind #BuildingBrighterFutures
