Our little shack haven – how this Upington couple is redefining luxury

It's not worth it, they said. Why are you wasting your time and money on a shack, people would ask Sandile and Thembisa Ndlovu, as they spent three years toiling at what they hoped would become the home of their dreams. 

Now, a small plot on the flat brown landscape of Paballelo in rural Upington, in the Northern Cape, is interrupted by bursts of colour – a house with walls painted a deep shade of blue; a lush green lawn framed by pale rocks; and eye-catching, checkerboard-style red and grey tiles on the veranda. 

This is their home sweet home, which became a viral sensation after Thembisa (34) shared pictures of it on her Facebook page a few months ago.