From riches to being homeless - how I got up again

Life has a way of teaching us valuable lessons, and sometimes the lessons come in a way that we least expect.

For Nomfundo Vika, a mother from the Eastern Cape, the journey from riches to poverty and rising up again taught her to never take anything for granted.

"My husband and I were financially secure. We bought our first house in Heidelberg, Gauteng, many years ago. Things were going smoothly. I was working in government - Department of Social Development, and my husband was working as a General in the Military. Life was good for us, and my children were well taken care of," she said.

But things took a wrong turn after the family decided to move back to their home in the Eastern Cape where her husband was chosen as a candidate for Mayor, and they were also pursuing a business.

"Sadly, after a while, things began to change for the worse. The business wasn't going well and my husband was removed as a Mayoral candidate. They didn't want him in the council. Nothing was going well. Our house in one of the suburbs in Eastern Cape got repossessed. At first, we couldn't even explain to my children what was going on, but we were forced to when things kept getting worse."

Vika says people would come to their home to view the house which was on auction, and after the sale went through, they were forced to move out of the house.

"We didn't want to overcrowd my mom in-law, so my husband and kids went to stay with my mom-in-law, while I went back to my mother's house. We went from being rich to having nothing."

A breakthrough came after many months when Nomfundo was on her way to her sister's place in Ekurhuleni.

"I remember very well I was in a taxi and my husband called me to tell me he had received a call from the municipality, and the new mayor wanted him on board. That Monday he was inducted as a counsel in the mayor's office.

"The miraculous thing was, after he hung up, I also got a call from Sassa to report to work on Monday at 8 o'clock. I couldn't believe my ears and I felt like I was dreaming."

Nomfundo says things are well now and they had to start afresh.

"The journey, as painful as it was, made me realise that If it wasn’t for the fire, I wouldn't be where I am today. I now appreciate my blessings. I always say whatever I went through was ordained by God to help other people. I wouldn't be able to speak to other people appropriately. For it is inappropriate to talk to people about pain if you have never experienced."

Nomfundo currently goes around the country motivating families to never give up. She is also working on a book.  

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