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An ecstatic Blessing Matamela holds the keys to the new house. Sharing the moment of glory with her are chief Gerson Masikhwa (right), Apostle Prince Mutshekwa (fourth from right), Cllr Tshimangadzo Malada and members of the church management.
News - Date: 14 November 2014
The life of a poor rural woman has changed for the better.
Named Blessing, her life was a total contrast to the name as she experienced poverty at its worst. But recently, just like her name says, she was blessed abundantly.
Matamela (42) of Ha-Luvhimbi outside Thohoyandou has been staying in a downgraded mud hut for years, which she shared with her five grown-up children, with no privacy for herself. When it rained, the dilapidated hut was always full of water.
All this is now history - thanks to the Power and Authority Christian Centre Church at Tshidzini, who built her a modest two-roomed house.
The house was recently presented to her by the local councillor, Tshimangadzo Malada, local traditional leader Chief Gerson Masikhwa and the leader of the church, Apostle Prince Mutshekwa.
Mutshekwa said they had heard of the poverty the family was going through and acted as instructed by the Bible. “We cannot only look at the spiritual being, but we should also bring meaningful change in the community and take care of the physical being.”
He added that they had also presented food parcels to needy families, “but this is the first major project and we hope that, through God’s grace, we will in future build more houses for the needy.”
The ecstatic Matamela could only say “God is Great,” with tears flowing down her cheeks. “I still remember we were crammed in this hut with my five children when heavy rain fell. I sat on the flooded floor and prayed to God that He must send someone to build us a house. God has been so good to us, and I just pray that He blesses the church for this gesture,” she said.
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
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