Thembelihle Village residents evicted
The Village is in massive debt and has not been connected to municipal services in two years.
Years of crippling financial instability at the Thembelihle Village housing project have culminated in over 100 tenants being recently evicted from the property.
Yeast City Housing (YCH) recently announced that the housing project launched in April 2018 has been placed in business rescue due to nonpayment by tenants.
The metro’s Department of Human Settlements conducted a recent site visit to Themblihle to audit the current tenants and determine who was or was not eligible for the social housing benefit.
Social housing was designed as transitional housing for households earning between R3 500 and R22 000 per month. However, the audit found that a significant number of tenants are not eligible for social housing, with some households earning up to R32 000 in joint income while continuing to occupy these units.
In a released statement, YCH said it was based on the findings of the audit and other factors that led to a court order being obtained to evict unqualifying tenants.
“The findings were based on court documents and official records, which included individuals in professional fields such as teaching, nursing, government service, and business ownership. As a result of these findings, the court granted eviction notices to tenants who did not meet the requirements for social housing,” the statement read.
Other contributing factors toward the evictions included:
– Non-Payment of Rent and Services: Several tenants have failed to make payments since 2019 with arrears currently totalling close to R60-million.
– Non-Disclosure of Income: Some households refused to provide income verification during the affordability assessment.
– Illegal Subletting: Unlawful rental arrangements were identified.
– Intimidation of Staff: Instances of harassment and threats towards property management staff were reported.
– Unauthorised Fee Collections – Groups have been unlawfully collecting money from tenants.
– Political Interference: Certain external parties have been involved in activities that encourage negative practices such as boycotting rent payments.
– Fire Hazards and Safety Concerns: Multiple fire incidents have occurred, raising serious concerns about compliance with safety regulations.
– Health and Safety Violations: Conditions within the buildings have deteriorated, posing risks to all residents.
– Security Threats: The ongoing illegal activities have led to a breakdown in security, endangering lawful tenants.
– Vandalism and Sabotage: Property damage has been reported, further contributing to the degradation of the living environment.
– Misrepresentation by Unauthorised Groups: An alleged residents’ association has been encouraging tenants not to pay rent to make it difficult for YCH NPC to carry out evictions.
– False Promises of Payment: Some tenants, who have previously not paid rent, are now making conditional promises of payment in exchange for restored services. Municipal services have been disconnected for the last two years due to non-payment.
Thembelihle Village said it remains committed to ensuring that social housing serves its intended purpose and will continue to take firm action to uphold the integrity of the housing programme.
“The business rescue process aims to restructure Yeast City’s sizeable debt and ensure that this valuable portfolio can contribute to the housing mix in Tshwane well into the future. Thembelihle should contribute to the City’s housing not only in its present state but also by increasing the occupancy of its units under management to support those in need,” the statement concluded.
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