Housing corruption rears its head – again
"Claims made by Gauteng residents of unjust and continuing corrupt practices cannot be ignored."
“Residents who applied for housing opportunities 15 years ago, and were allocated houses, still remain homeless.”
This is according to the DA’s Gauteng Spokesperson on Human Settlements, MPL Mervyn Cirota.
MPL Cirota said this comes as news broke of corrupt officials, ward committee members and rogue police officers in the Winnie Mandela informal settlement and Ekurhuleni, having mis-allocated stands and RDP houses causing beneficiaries to be ignored.
“These houses are alleged to be illegally occupied by friends and colleagues of said officials. An investigation conducted into corrupt practices by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements in 2005 still remain unresolved,” said MPL Cirota.
MPL Cirota said the DA will write to the Human Settlements MEC, Paul Mashatile, to request that he urgently conduct a provincial housing audit and launch a new investigation into corrupt practices.
“Claims made by Gauteng residents of unjust and continuing corrupt practices cannot be ignored. The MEC must verify these claims and follow up with the necessary remedial action.
“Many residents have been robbed of the opportunity to obtain keys to their homes and have waited far too long for the provincial department to step in. Corruption has no place in a free, fair and democratic society,” said MPL Cirota.
MPL Cirota said fraudulent practices must be rooted out.
The Tembisan sent a request for comment to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM).
At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
