South Hills housing blemishes in the spotlight
“The last time we were in this area, we instructed the contractor to attend to those issues that were raised by the residents. Our view is that the contractor produced poor workmanship on most of the units.”
MMC for Housing in the City of Joburg Mlungisi Mabaso conducted an oversight visit at South Hills Housing Development following a memorandum of demands submitted by residents of Ward 57 relating to the housing department.
On September 3, the department received a memorandum from disgruntled residents who had a list of complaints. They protested outside the department’s offices, demanding answers from the developers.
As the political principal is directly responsible for the workmanship in housing developments in the City of Joburg, it was prudent for Mabaso to inspect the defects that residents had queried.
Although Mayor Jolidee Matongo announced he has appointed an independent investigation into the quality of the workmanship of the development, Mabaso has requested a geo-tech report, quality assurance as well as a list of affected units to find an amicable solution.
“The last time we were in this area, we instructed the contractor to attend to those issues that were raised by the residents. Our view is that the contractor produced poor workmanship on most of the units,” said Mabaso.
“There are defects in these buildings that require immediate attention and the sad part is they were previously raised when we conducted the oversight last year,” he said.
Some of the issues at the units at South Hills range from cracked and damp walls, peeling paint, plumbing and structural issues.
City launches independent probe into South Hills housing workmanship
“I have, therefore, requested a report from the contractor with immediate effect and based on what is contained in the report, we will be able to indicate whether the issues can be fixed with immediate effect, or we will have to come up with an alternative accommodation while the defects are attended to.
“Before the end of this month, we will conduct another oversight to inspect the progress of the development at South Hills. It is our primary responsibility as the government to ensure that our residents are provided with dignified housing,” said Mabaso.
