EMM refutes housing corruption allegations
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) refuted the allegations that some RDP houses were occupied by unauthorised residents.
Several residents from the Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement claimed that their RDP houses were complete, but other people who were not allocated houses occupied the houses built.
The residents claimed that their houses were approved in 2000 and 2001 in Esselen Park, Tswelopele extension and Winnie Mandela.
They accused the municipality of being unfair when allocating people houses.
The residents also said the people who occupied their houses did not have HSS forms, they occupied the houses with a hand-written letter with the municipality stamp on it.
According to the residents, the hand written letters are called happy letters.
The EMM’s spokesperson, Ms Lebogang Ramashala, said the allegations were false.
She said the procedure of allocating people houses was fair, as the allocations were done on registrations made in 1996 and 1997.
“The allocations were done properly per ward, together with the ward committees and CLO’s from each ward,” said Ms Ramashala.
When asked if the residents allocated into the houses had Housing Subsidy System (HSS) numbers, or if they were relevant beneficiaries, Ms Ramashala said that when a subsidy application form is captured on the HSS, it is allocated a number which acts as a reference number for that particular person and their relevant beneficiaries.
Ms Ramashala added that for a person to be allocated a subsidised house, the beneficiary should be a first time owner. The prospective owner should also never have had any property registered in his or her name.
“Relevant beneficiaries are South African citizens with a green bar-coded ID, married or cohabitation, have financial dependants residing with the applicant, permanent residents of the country and an income not more than R3 500 per month,” she said.
