House… 10 years in waiting
'It has been established that ANC councillors and ward committee members in these wards have been tampering with the RDP housing lists and have prioritised those who are affiliated to the ANC' DA councillor, Albert Mafhala
LIMPOPO – A FAMILY of eight from Sendedza village near Louis Trichardt say there is no privacy as they are forced to share a one-roomed house.
Lunyadzo Netshivhazwaulu said they applied for an RDP house 10 years ago, but have not received one yet.
She said when they enquired about the house at the Makhado Municipality, they were told that their house was instead built at Makatu village and was currently occupied by someone else.
“If you come here at night, you will find us packed like sardines. We don’t have an option, we have to share with our brothers,” said Netshivhazwaulu.
DA councillor, Albert Mafhala, said they sent a letter to the MEC for cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (Coghsta), Makoma Makhurupetje to urgently probe allegations of irregular allocation of RDP houses by ANC councillors in wards 30, 32 and 33 in the Makhado Municipality.
Mafhala said they were informed that more than 30 families in villages such as Sendedza, Mavhunga and Vuvha applied for RDP houses in 2011, but their names did not appear on the municipal housing database.
“It has been established that ANC councillors and ward committee members in these wards have been tampering with the RDP housing lists and have prioritised those who are affiliated to the ANC. Stealing houses from the poor people is a clear indication that the ANC cares only about itself and not about the people of South Africa. Some of these ANC members and relatives do not even qualify for RDP housing,” said Mafhala.
“The Makhado Municipality allocated more than R90 million to housing, but these funds were used fruitlessly.
“These incidents are compounded by the R559 million that was sent back to the national treasury by the department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs due to underspending. As a result, 9 259 poor families on the RDP waiting list will have to wait for yet another financial year before they receive houses.
“We are deeply concerned about these irregularities and move for them to be investigated. We urge Makhurupetje to intervene in this regard and to take decisive action against this ANC rogue action,” he said.
But Netshivhazwaulu is not alone in her quest for a house.
In Vuvha village, residents wrote a letter to the MEC for Coghsta in May last year, where they complained about building material for RDP houses that was delivered to the village and later taken back.
Coghsta acting head of department, Gregory Makoko, accepted in a written statement, that the beneficiaries in Vuvha village who applied for RDP house in the 2006/7 financial year were captured and approved on the Housing Subsidy System (HSS) under Reagetswe Trading 131 cc.
He said the total number of beneficiaries that were allocated to Reagetswe Trading 131 cc at Makhado Municipality was 200.
“Due to inaccessibility, the developer surrendered 63 units. The 13 beneficiaries at Vuvha village were among the villages affected by inaccessibility and were surrendered by the contractor. The Makhado Municipality should discuss the relocation process with the affected beneficiaries to accessible areas and thereafter prioritise them in the coming financial year projects,” said Makoko.
Spokesperson for Coghsta, Selomo Mutupa said they will take Netshivhazwaulu’s ID number and investigate why her house was built in Makatu village and was occupied by someone else.
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