/ 11 August 2007

Mbeki hands over house to anti-pass march veteran

President Thabo Mbeki made 80-year old Evelina Mokwena of Dukathole, Aliwal North, in the Eastern Cape, the proud owner of a house on Saturday.

The president handed over the house to Mokwena who has lived in a shack for more than 10 years.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported Mokwena shed tears of joy after receiving the keys to her new home, adding she was one of thousands of women who took part in the 1956 march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where women marched against pass laws.

The handing over ceremony formed part of Mbeki’s two-day Eastern Cape imbizo. — Sapa