GMM official faces fraud charges
Ward 20 councillor, Masabatha Khubeka said many RDP houses in Green Field are not occupied by their rightful owners because of corruption.
The eMbalenhle police opened a case of fraud and malicious damage to property against an official in the Govan Mbeki Municipality’s housing section and her son.
The duo allegedly forced open the security door of an RDP house at Ext 10, Greenfields, in eMbalenhle last November.
They intended to expel Pretty Shongwe and her belongings from the house in what is described as an illegal eviction.
Shongwe rented the house from the official but stopped paying rent when she discovered the house did not belong to the official because it was registered in someone else’s name.
“Til today, I do not know what that woman and her son did with my belongings,” said Shongwe.
“My eight-year-old’s clothes and school uniform were also taken. They loaded my belongings onto a truck and demanded rent.”
Shongwe claims she paid R1 000 monthly to the municipal official. According to her, the official wanted to increase the rent, but Shongwe could not afford it because she was a temporary worker.
“I found out the house did not belong to the official. When I confronted her, she said it was her son’s house. I opened a malicious damage to property case against the official and her son at eMbalenhle Police Station.”
Shongwe alleges she met the official when she tried to apply for an RDP house and stand.
“The official then rented me this house.”
The eMbalenhle police spokesperson, Constable Busi Mthethwa, confirmed the two cases were opened against the official and said the police are investigating.
According to Mthethwa, the official and her son are attending the alleged malicious damage to property case after their arrest last year.
Mthethwa said another person, Zolile Sapepa, opened the fraud case against the official regarding the same RDP house.
Sapepa showed Ridge Times the municipal statements and the title deed that proves the house belongs to his late brother, Nelson Sapepa, who died in 2002.
“I was unaware that my brother’s house was built some years ago until our councillor, Masabatha Khubeka, alerted me. I always wondered what had happened to my brother’s RDP house application.
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“He died waiting for his house, all the while the municipal official was making money off it,” said Sapepa.
“I am surprised about this because the official is who was responsible for our RDP house applications. It appears she stole those houses from us,” said Sapepa.
Ward 20 Clr Masabatha Khubeka of the Azanian Residents Party (ARP) said many RDP houses in the Greenfields area are not occupied by their rightful owners because of corruption.
“The Greenfields RDP houses need to be investigated. The municipality officials and former councillors who sold these houses must be brought to justice.
“The poor community members are still waiting for their houses, but they were sold or rented to someone else long ago.
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“Some of these houses are duplicated, resulting in one person receiving two RDP houses. This proves to me the level of corruption,” said Khubeka.
He accompanied Sapepa to the deeds office in Pretoria, where they got the title deed of Nelson’s house.
Khubeka appealed to the police to fast-track the investigation so the rightful owners could get their houses back.
These are not the first allegations of officials and politicians renting out RDP houses that do not belong to them.
The Mbetse family believe they rent an RDP house in Ext 10, Greenfield section, from former Ward 9 councillor Douglas Mahlangu.
They claim they paid Mahlangu R1 800 monthly and were surprised when they saw the real beneficiary of the RDP house is Joseph Mtsweni.
Mahlangu allegedly collected the rent at night or asked a member of the Mbetse family to meet him at eMbalenhle Mall. However, he later demanded the money be paid via a retail store’s money market.
Mahlangu refuted the allegations. He said the rent is paid to his daughter, to whom the house belongs. The Mbetse matter is now handled by the Hawks.
Mahlangu said the Hawks, the Evander Court and the parliamentary constituency office have questioned him about this house.
The official’s name and that of her son will not be revealed until they appear in court and plead.
