Simon had his heart set on his dream family home, and he fought against all odds to make his dream a reality. He, his wife and their two children lived in a rented, oneroomed shack for almost eight years.
There was no privacy and even worse, there was no water and electricity. They moved to an informal settlement which offered bigger shacks. “We still had no lights. I divided the shack into a kitchen and two bedrooms. Even though we had a roof over our heads, during the rainy season there was no difference between us and the homeless people because the rain would come in through the roof,” Simon said. Simon bought a double storey house in Soweto but could not move in as the previous occupant refused to leave. “I continued to pay for the house for four years while I was living in the shack,” he explained. He consulted different lawyers, but the case dragged on until it was taken to the High Court.
Simon was upset not only by living in the shack, but also by paying for a beautiful house that he could not occupy. He consulted different lawyers to intervene on his behalf, but the case dragged on until it was taken to the High Court and still he did not find a remedy for the situation. Simon was upset not only by living in the shack, but also by the thought of paying for a beautiful house that he could not occupy. “When I come back from work, I would get off the bus a distance away from the informal settlement I lived in. I did not want people to associate me with that place,” he said. In 1994 he was invited to the UCKG. In the church he learned to use his faith. He also took part in chains of prayers and he believed that God would bring justice to his case. When he heard about the Campaign of Israel he took part with determination and believed that God would honour his faith.
“I was not discouraged by the lawyers, instead I trusted God’s verdict. Just after the campaign, God granted me what was rightfully mine I won the case after 20 years,” he said. When he finally moved into the house with his family he discovered that the previous occupant had vandalised everything inside. Fortunately he had no problems with his finances and he was able to renovate it.
“After 20 years of living a shameful life, I am finally staying in my nine-roomed dream house. God blessed me so much that I managed to buy another five-roomed one,” said Simon.
By: Nomsa Masengemu