UPDATE: Stanger housing project in shambles

A R300 million mixed housing project in Rocky Park, Stanger stands in limbo, as locals who were promised homes continue to wait after almost a decade.

In 2010, the provincial housing department launched a multimillion-rand pilot housing project in Pietermaritzburg and KwaDukuza where they planned to build mixed-income flats.

Nearly a year in, after millions had already been spent, suspicions of fraud and corruption, allegedly by the contractor, derailed the project.

Eight years later hundreds of locals who were on the beneficiary list are still waiting for government to deliver on their promise to provide homes.

Last week, the beneficiaries took matters into their own hands and moved into the incomplete flats, some of which are still being held up by scaffolding, after claiming that the contractor had rented out some units to people from outside the area who had occupied the premises from two years ago.

Most occupied units are illegally connected to water and electricity.

Also read: A rocky road to housing

“On Human Rights Day we took the bull by the horns and moved into the incomplete flats because we are so tired of waiting.

“We were told our flats would be ready by 2012 and this project started in 2010.

“Our flats are now being vandalised,” said one of the irate residents in her sixties, who said her daughter was number eight on the beneficiary list.

“People who are living in overpopulated old age homes were meant to get first priority. The next thing we see that while our names were on the waiting list, other people who are connected to the contractor of this project, suddenly moved in, occupying flats meant for us.”

On Monday 40 residents walked to KDM and demanded to be addressed by their ward councillor, deputy mayor Dolly Govender.

The crowd demanded action and even offered to fix and complete the units themselves. After two hours of waiting they left as councillor Govender was apparently in a meeting.

KDM media liaison Sipho Mkhize said the municipal administration visited the flats later on Monday afternoon where they informed the residents that they would hold a community meeting this Wednesday, March 27 at the Rocky Park flats at 4pm.

“We as government are aware that there were challenges in this project which need to be addressed. After allegations that the contractor had been giving out units to their own people, and that they were not adhering to their contract, government terminated their contract and while fraud and corruption are being investigated, the project has been put on hold. We cannot pass this premises off as being livable because it is incomplete.”

He said they would rectify the beneficiary list and look for a solution during the meeting on Wednesday.

Be the first to receive breaking news straight to your device with our newly launched push notifications! Simply visit our website and click on the icon shown above.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram