The condition of houses at the new Khutsong Ext 6 low-cost housing project next to Welverdiend is generating more complaints than any similar project completed in recent years. Several residents showed the Herald the problems at their houses this week.

According to one of the affected residents, Simon Mogapi (65), housing officials from the Merafong City Local Municipality called him on April 30 and informed him that his new house at No. 9254 was ready. He received the key on May 3. The officials and contractor acknowledged that the house was still incomplete.
“They said they would fix everything the following week,” he says.

By this week, however, there were still major problems with the house. Mogapi showed the Herald that no electrical switches or distribution board had been installed and that there were no electrical connection points inside the house.

There are also no taps or municipal water supply. In addition, there are no bathroom fittings or taps.
He cannot use his back door because he received only one key for the house, which fits only the front door. Mogapi is not the only resident who received an unfinished house.

At house No. 9269, Kamogelo Xezile showed how the bath in the house allocated to his mother, Margaret, is completely loose. There are no lights in the ceilings, and water continually leaks from the base of the toilet. This is especially worrying because the houses are built on dolomitic ground, where constant water leaks are known to contribute to sinkholes.

“I was so happy when I received this house because I had been renting a shack in Skopas, but there are so many problems that we struggle to live in the new house,” says Margaret. She also has only one key for her house after officials allegedly lost the other one. Meanwhile, water is also leaking from a wall inside the house of Nozipho Moremongwe.

Her house, which was allegedly previously used as an office by mthe contractor, does not even have light fittings in the ceilings. There are also no plug points. While at the site, several other residents complained about similar issues, as well as other problems such as wide gaps between their ceilings and exterior walls.

Mogapi and community activist Mzwandile Kheswa officially lodged a complaint about the problems with municipal manager Dumisani Mabuza and other senior municipal officials this week. The Herald also contacted the municipality’s marketing and communications manager, Temba Fezani, regarding the complaints, but had received no response by the time of publication.