Mayor Hands Over House To Child-Headed Family

Tears and relief mixed on Wednesday as DR AB Xuma Municipality Executive Mayor Siyabulela Zangqa handed over the keys to a new house for the Dita sisters, a child-headed family left destitute after their mother was murdered in a gender-based violence attack in January 2026.

The handover took place at the family’s home, where 31-year-old Nosisi Ndita and her 21-year-old sister Philisowe Ndita will now have a place “which we can call home”.

Speaking at the handover, Mayor Zangqa said the municipality could not leave the sisters to struggle alone after the trauma they endured.

“I went to Human Settlement and asked for them to build a house for them, went around looking for furniture and also groceries. We are also trying to help them get IDs so that they can get grants and one of the children to go to school,” Zangqa said.

“We must make sure that the children go to school in order to change the situation of the family and break the generational curses.”

The mayor confirmed the municipality also sourced furniture and food parcels to help the sisters settle in.

Nosisi recalled the night their lives changed. Their mother was attacked at their previous home in the village.

“She died in January 2026. She was attacked at our house. She tried catching him, he hit her with a steel on her head and dragged her to the forest where he raped her,” Ndita said, voice steady but heavy with grief.

Before the attack, the family had moved from house to house. “We used to keep people’s houses in the village. In the area where we stayed with our mother we were not happy until she lost her life,” she said.

For Philisiwe and Nosisi, the new house represents more than bricks and a roof. It’s safety, dignity, and a chance to rebuild.

“I am happy now that we finally have a place which we can call home,” Ndita said.

With help to secure IDs and grant applications underway, the municipality hopes the sisters can focus on school and a future beyond survival.