As a way of giving back to his community, MTC executive and philanthropist Tim Ekandjo on Tuesday donated a brand new and fully furnished house to a senior Lüderitz resident.
Ekandjo, who built the house in his own capacity, handed over the keys to Lucia Joel, who lost her shack house in a devastating fire in September 2020. The fire took the life of her brother and destroyed all her belongings.
Before Joel’s house burned down, Ekandjo said he shared his plan to build a house for a senior resident of Lüderitz living in a shack with the town mayor Anna-Marie Hartzenberg.
“The next day, she came back and identified Joel’s house and shared pictures of the shack she has been living in for years. A few days thereafter, this house tragically burned down, and I knew it was God’s way of telling me to start this project with immediate effect and not as I originally planned it,” he narrated in a media statement issued Tuesday.
Construction of the house started last year and was handed over to Joel, complete with two new double beds with mattresses and side tables, two wardrobes, built-in kitchen cupboards, dining table set, fridge, stove, TV, lounge suite and a geyser.
“Sometimes, we go through difficult things, trials and tribulations to see God’s hand in our lives – and I can assure you that God is extremely pleased today. I hope that you will make this house yours and your family’ home,” said an emotional Ekandjo in a telephonic conversation with New Era on Tuesday.
Hartzenberg thanked Ekandjo for his contribution and urged residents of the town to join him in building Lüderitz.
“It is time to work together to uplift this town to a standard that we will all be proud of – and I wish this town can produce more Tim Ekandjos so that we can build for the future because the time is now,” she said.
Construction amounted to N$367 359 and furniture of the value of N$78 872.
The construction was managed by local Lüderitz building contractor Naftal Trading.
Ekandjo, who is also a resident of the town, thanked the Lüderitz Municipality for their support and for endorsing the initiative, appealing to the leadership of the Town Council to eradicate shacks in the town and replace them with houses to restore the dignity of people.
Ekandjo also recently donated N$25 000 as a reward to anyone with information that would lead to the whereabouts of four-year-old Spencer Mandela Nakale, who went missing in Lüderitz on 28 December 2020.
- ashikololo@nepc.com.na