GEORGE TOWN, Jan. 30 -- Hundreds of homebuyers left in limbo for years can finally see an end to their ordeal after the Penang state government appointed Mah Sing Group to rescue two abandoned affordable housing projects in Balik Pulau.

The two projects, Sri Bayu and Quinton, with a total of 625 units, were 70 to 80 per cent complete before being abandoned after the original developer faced financial difficulties.

For buyers like Nurzaim Zainudin, 34, the news is a long-awaited relief.

Over seven years, the factory worker has been working a second job selling coffee at night to cover his RM1,400 monthly housing loan for a unit he bought in 2019, all while still paying rent for his family's current home.

"I am happy with this, but I am...