Call for probe into alleged corruption in Parkdene RDP housing allocation

Disgruntled RDP applicants and the area’s ward councillor have called for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the recent allocation of the newly built RDP units in the Leeuwpoort Housing Development in Parkdene (Boksburg).

This follows allegations that some people, through corrupt means, benefited from houses that were meant for poor people who have been on the waiting lists for decades and desperately need accommodation.
Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos confirmed that he received complaints from residents who applied in the 90s, saying rightful beneficiaries were overlooked in the allocation processes.
They believe that this was because some units were given to people through corrupt means.

De Vos said officials were made aware of uncovered evidence of the alleged wrongful allocation of units that sparked the housing row in the second phase of the housing project.
The complainants have found no joy in the officials who they think are trying to cover up for those believed to have allegedly sold units to some of the people who wrongfully benefited from this housing opportunity.

Suspicions
The ward councillor said the following has raised red flags:
• A person who has previously benefited from the government housing opportunity was again allocated a unit in the Parkdene housing project
• Two people, a mother and her 20-year-old son, were allocated a unit in the same complex, while qualifying people have been on the waiting list dating as far back as the late 90s. This means the son may have applied between 2020, when he was 15 and 2023, when he was 18. So, how did he jump the queue with people who applied over three decades before him?
• It was also found that some of the houses are occupied by foreign nationals and middle-class South Africans who earn above the threshold for qualifying to be allocated an RDP house.

“All these fuel suspicions that money may have exchanged hands to access these RDP houses.

“We have also found that there has been an influx of occupants who rent some of these units. Is this not a clear indication that some of the houses were allocated to people who do not need them, but immediately after they were allocated, they use them to make money for themselves through collecting rent?”

At the centre of the applicants’ frustration are allegations suggesting that political interference has seen officials and politicians bringing non-Boksburg young people to occupy the RDP flats in Parkdene when many people from the deserving wards have not benefited from the city’s allocation for decades.

Escalated
In light of these allegations, De Vos challenged the MMC for Human Settlement, Kgopelo Hollo, about the allocation decision.

In a written reply to de Vos’ questions, the MMC acknowledged that the city has learnt that despite the stringent measures in place, the city has found that one person who does not meet the set criteria was recorded as a beneficiary and allocated a unit in the housing project in question.
In the response, seen by the Boksburg Advertiser, Hollo pointed out that the individual had slipped through the process despite having previously benefited from the government housing subsidy.
The person is reportedly refusing to vacate the unit despite being requested several times to do so. As a result, the city has decided to institute legal processes against this individual.
The MMC stated that the department will assess whether this individual is the only person who managed to slip through the processes and got allocated a unit. If found to be so, they will be removed to ensure that the units go to the rightful owners.

Hollo pointed out that it’s not uncommon for people to not disclose owning properties or if they have previously benefited from the system.
The department has not yet responded to the Advertiser’s questions about the allegations made, and what steps the city intends to take to ascertain the validity of these allegations, and deal with those implicated in the wrongful allocation of houses.

The controversial Parkdene housing project, which forms part of the Leeuwpoort Mega Housing Development, has so far with phases one and two combined, produced a total of 376 units which are now occupied. The contractors are busy with phase three, which is expected to yield 245 units.

Leeuwpoort Mega Housing Development
The ongoing Leeuwpoort Mega Housing Development was launched about eight years ago. It consists of three integrated residential development areas – in the North (Parkdene Ext 7 and Reiger Park Ext 19) and the South, close to Sunward Park.

It is expected to produce around 24 000 housing opportunities. It was initially projected to be completed over seven years at the cost of an estimated R2.9-billion.
Now the city says the estimated duration to finalise the project is approximately seven more years, depending on the availability of funds to meet all the engineering services required and the budget for the housing implementation.

RDP housing crisis
A shortage of adequate housing in the metro was highlighted in the Ekurhuleni State of the City Address.
The mayor stated that according to the National Housing Needs Database, ’a total of 283 000 people are on the housing waiting list for Ekurhuleni.
He indicated that these include 131 informal settlements (growth from 119 in 2020/21) with 200 000 households and a total of 80 000 backyard dwellers.

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