Hostel dwellers illegally occupied temporary residential units
The City has since established that it is the residents from hostels that have taken illegal occupation of the unit.
Mamelodi hostel dwellers this week illegally occupied 1 000 temporary housing units that were supposed to be handed to them by the end of June 2020.
This was the original plan according to the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation when they unveiled the R64-million temporary unit project by former human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu in May last year. Due to an apparent shortage of building material, the June 2020 deadline was missed.
The occupants, who would not be named, said they were not happy with the progress made thus far, because they were supposed to have been living in the temporary units by now.
They claimed to have moved in because the units now because they were “getting damaged by the rain because no one was looking after them”.
“We have been through a lot for almost two decades. We are still waiting for allocation,” they said.
Apson Sepadi Makaung, the general secretary of the SebataKgomo Civil Society Movement, said they don’t blame the hostel dwellers for occupying units illegally.
“The occupants have been waiting for so long for the allocation process to start – it’s been almost two years now,” said Makaung.
“They don’t have a choice. The living conditions inside the old hostel are inhuman and not good for their health.” Makaung said they blamed the government for failing to keep their promise because “in their manifesto, they spoke about houses, not shacks”.
“The Freedom Chater said there will be houses, security and comfort. Surprisingly, now they erect tin houses as if they do not know that it is in the Bill of Rights,” he added.
“We, therefore, call upon the relevant authorities to investigate the R64-million that was budgeted for this project.
“If the R64-million was used appropriately to build houses for the poor people, they could have built more than 400 normal and adequate RDP houses for the people or 19 flats similar to the one already built in ward 38,” said Makaung.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro was informed about the invasion on November 29.
“The metro has since established that it was the residents from hostels that have taken illegal occupation of the unit,” said Mashigo.
“We are investigating intending to address the matter and ensure that occupation is by the rightful residents, as per the agreed allocation plan.
“We will continue to engage the Hostel Residents Committee to proceed with the allocations of beneficiaries to the 97 completed units,” he said.
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The Tshwane metro appointed the Housing Development Agency (HDA) as an implementing agent for the establishment of Transitional Residential Areas (TRAs) in the Mamelodi hostels subject to the signing of implementation protocols by the accounting officers of the national human settlements department, the City of Tshwane and HDA which was signed on May 30, 2020.
The metro mandated the HDA as an implementing agent responsible for amongst others the appointment of contractors, site supervision and certification of works for the construction of the 1 000 Mamelodi hostels’ temporary residential units (TRUs).
The HDA in turn appointed two contractors for the construction of 1 000 TRUs, which are Gorogang Plant Hire and Selby Construction. Mashigo said the delays thereof are attributed but not limited to the following reasons:
“Scarce availability of material during level 5 lockdown; long lead-times for material delivery; community strikes and frequent project stoppages; late approval of construction drawings; and prolonged community engagements, etc,” he said.
Mashigo added along the process, the hostel community became divided about the relocation which delayed the process and led to the illegal occupation of the units.
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