By Buziwe Nocuze
Last month, Scrolla.Africa published a story about how an Eastern Cape student from Walter Sisulu University used his NSFAS money to build his own house.
Lungisani Mbutuma explained how he pulled it off.
He began building his house in 2020, using his NSFAS residential and transport allowance and completed it in 2022.
“I got my non-residential allowance late, maybe in September, and at that time it would be around R15,000. I would get around R4,000 for transport,” said Mbutuma.
Finding a plot to build his house was not difficult.
“The plot is close to my home. I was speaking with my family and the headman about my plan to build a house there and they didn’t have any problems,” Mbutuma said.
He hired one man to build the house and another to do the plastering.
“The total amount for both of them was R11,000 and I bought the building materials in different hardware stores around Bizana,” said Mbutuma.
Getting the building material to his plot cost him R800 a trip.
“I don’t know how many times I hired the special delivery, but it was at least twice and I spent about R17,000 on building materials.
“I borrowed water tanks from my neighbour and hired a truck to fetch water from the dam, paying R350 for each trip. I have lost count of how many times I hired them, but it was at least five times,” said Mbutuma.
After completing the house in 2022, he started buying furniture using his NSFAS allowance and money he received from tourists.
“Tourists would arrive during public holidays or December and I would take them around showing them different trees and things, and they paid me the money they thought I deserved,” said Mbutuma.
Mbutuma’s advice to readers thinking of building their own houses is that it is an expensive business.
“It takes someone who knows their story with money because you can’t start building without enough money,” he said.
He said it becomes difficult even if one is prepared because the price of building materials keeps increasing.
“I was lucky because I knew NSFAS was going to give me money each year and I could complete my house. Others can also do it if they put their minds to it,” Mbutuma said.
Pictured above: Lungisani Mbutuma used some of his NSFAS money to build his house.
Image source: Supplied.
