Residents want their RDP houses

Some residents in the Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement, who registered for RDP houses in 1998, are crying foul over broken promise as their houses were approved yet other people occupied them.

They said their houses were approved in 2000 and 2001 at Esselen Park, Tswelapele extension and Winnie Mandela.

They also said they made several complaints about their houses to the local municipality but have been ignored.

One of the residents, Mr Maifo Silas Mashilo (69), said they are preparing to take the matter to court.

“We are not satisfied by the way our local municipality treats us. We feel we are sidelined as it seems nobody cares about what happened to our houses. We are tired of using parafin and prima stoves. We feel robbed of our houses,” he said.

Mr Mashilo said that what frustrates him most is to see another person coming in and out of his house while he is still living in a shack.

“We are frustrated and we feel helpless. We do not have electricity and sanitation. We fetch water from the communal taps. We feel tortured everyday for knowing that our houses are approved but other people occupied them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Johannes Ramokgola said the worst part is that those who are richer do not feel ashamed to steal from the poor.

“We have been crying to our local councillor and the municipality but we have been ignored. We waited for so long to get houses. We are also South African citizens and deserve the right to have access to basic needs,” he said.

Ekuhuleni Concerned Resident’s Association (ECRA) chairperson, Mr Tsietsi Kukame, said that they lodged a complain about the housing allocation of Tswelapele, Esselen Park and Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement to the EMM but were referred to the Ekurhuleni Housing Department (EHD).

“Their response was that the people of Winnie Mandela have dummy numbers. Residents have their housing subsidy system (HSS) forms that shows proof of their houses being approved. Since the Winnie Mandela Informal Settleement was approved in 1999, Tswelapele in 2000 and Esselen Park in 2001 and 2002, several residents were robbed of their houses and stands. Their houses were approved but other people occupied them,” he said.

Mr Kukame added that they have done investigations through the department of national housing and realised they were ignored. “The EHD refused us the allocation and registration lists of Winnie Mandela. The EHD said these lists were private and connfidential. They also said having an HSS form does not mean you will get a house. All we wanted to know was the procedure used to allocate people to the houses. We are working with our lawyers to fight against the housing corruption in Winnie Mandela,” he added.

The organisation’s attorney, from the Socio Economic Rights Institute (SERI) Ms Nomzamo Zondo, said their clients over the years have approached the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), the province, the President’s office and even the public protector’s office, but they have not received any satisfactory response. They have instructions to bring applications against the EMM and the province.

“We are still collecting documentation,” she said.

A request for comment was sent to the EMM. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.