Mr Mthethwa,113, finally owns a house

The only wish that has not come true for 113-year-old Muntukayise Mthethwa of KwaDabeka, Clermont, is to meet Nelson Mandela.

Yesterday wheelchair-bound Mthethwa could not contain his emotions when KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize, Social Development MEC Meshack Radebe and other officials handed him the keys to his new home.

Born in 1896 in Vryheid, Mthethwa witnessed the Bambatha Rebellion near Greytown in 1906, when he was just 10 years old.

He says he was taken by force to work as a fisherman on Robben Island for about 30 years. It is not clear when Mthethwa was taken or when he returned home.

But, at the age of 113, Mthethwa had never owned a home.

His plight came to light at a summit for older people when he was given a platform to voice his problems: his only complaint was that he needed a proper home because the house he was living in was made of mud, was prone to collapsing and was built in a dangerous area.

A big, warm smile spread across Mthethwa's face when the officials cut the ribbon and the house was officially handed over to him and his family.

The only thing he could say was: "I am so happy. Now my only wish that has not been granted is to meet Madiba."

Mthethwa has been married four times. He is now left with two wives, 25 children and 60 grandchildren.

With that many grandchildren to keep track of, Mthethwa asks them to identify themselves, but he never forgets to stretch his arm out for a handshake.

When his third wife, Bizani Mthethwa, 69, spoke about her husband's experiences during the apartheid era, she said he never elaborated because it brought back painful memories.

"But he always told us that those days of discrimination and segregation were never easy, especially when he was on Robben Island. He always heard of Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned there at that time, but he never got a chance to meet him because he was in the holding cells. It has been so many years and Mthethwa still wants to meed Madiba," she said.

Donations of furniture, food parcels and flower seeds were given to the family.

Zwelakhe Mthethwa, 36, the sixth child born to Bizani, said the family appreciated that after all those years of apartheid, his father had finally been given a home.

"After so many years, my father can now live in a proper home. He has been waiting for years for this day to come and his dream has come true.

"Now what is left is for him to meet uTata Madiba. My father always says that if that had to come true, then he would of lived his life to the fullest."

Daily News

Posted at 07:43AM Dec 15, 2009 by Editor in Residential  |  Comments[6]