EFF Defends Building a House for a Woman in Nkandla


By Staff Writer    27-Jan-2014 16:14 UTC+02:00 11
The Economic Freedom Fighters proceeded with a motorcade from Johannesburg to Soweto despite police orders against the gathering. – image - www.politicsweb.co.za

The EFF has defended its decision to build a house for a Nkandla woman who is reportedly financially well-off.

Earlier this month the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was hailed for its commitment to helping the poor when the party’s president, Julius Malema, handed over a house they built for an elderly woman and her grandchildren in Nkandla. The EFF said building the house was part of the many outreach programs of the party aimed at improving vulnerable people’s conditions.

However, when it was revealed that the house was built a few hundred meters away from President Jacob Zuma’s homestead, the EFF’s philanthropic act was considered by some members of the public as a political stunt. On Sunday, the EFF’s motive for building the house became more questionable when the Sunday Times reported that its recipient, Ms S’thandiwe Hlongwane, was financially well-off.

According to Sunday Times, Ms Hlongwane is married to a senior archivist who earns around R250 000 per year and together with her husband, they own two other properties, a VW Polo and a Toyota Hilux. When asked why she accepted the house from the EFF, she said “They just wanted to help a poor family”. This incited the belief that either she misled the EFF or the party built the house for other motives.

However, the EFF released a statement indicating that the party was not misled by Ms Hlongwane and was aware of her financial circumstances. In a press statement, EFF national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticized the Sunday Times and other newspapers for spreading the notion that the house was handed over to a rich family. He said, “These allegations are basically nonsensical and a deliberate failure to understand why the house was handed over.”

Ndlozi said before the EFF built the house for Ms Hlongwane, her children were sleeping in mud houses which had no furniture because she could not afford to build them a decent house. “It is our belief as EFF that no human being in South Africa should live in the mud houses which the Hlongwane family was using before we built them a house,” he said.

“Despite the sensationalism that the newspapers are spreading about our genuine intervention, EFF remains proud that we handed over a house with doors and decent furniture to the Hlongwane family”, Ndlozi added.



 11 Comments


  1. Someone told me that the building of the house was innitiated by the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE. Is that true?

  2. Ok I do’nt think that is true. It could be a gimmic to discredit JM.

  3. Phaphama says:

    Wenzekahle juju kubuhlungukuph kumalung kaANC mawakhelwa lomndeli aseyavimbana ngangingath bath INKATHA engabhadlile bonababhadlile nj mabenza kanje

  4. zama shezi says:

    ngingaliphosa elam ivoti uma ujuju equba kanje

  5. mzo says:

    Its important that when someone does something, He or She will do it with the purpose to help someone not with the purpose to prove a point to someone. I can tell you now that juju was misled by Ms Hlongwane. Because He wanted to prove a point He didn’t do a proper reaserch. You can not tell that the person who earns that much and the owner of such cars would own a mud house, come on Guys!!!

  6. Cindy says:

    Im not a polititian but what malema did is not worth it lomndeni awuyidingi indlu bebengeke bahlala odakeni behamba ngemoto ezinje akasize thina esihluphekile la enatal ebergville

  7. poulos lebelo says:

    according to my opinion the was no reason to fire the becauz everybody knowz that anc i hamba phambili already and is everybodys future , not get fired atleast warning for second chance

  8. P. Nkomo says:

    what is done by the EFF is totaly good but the thing is this that; your adversary never recognise what ever good you can do, but the wise are noticing.

  9. Qiniso Zwane says:

    wenze kahle ujuju umama omdala kangaka akanandlu kodwa uhlala eduze kwamengameli #buphiubuntu

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