The residents of Uthingo Park have made it clear that they will protest until their voices are heard.
They were protesting by burning tyres and a security vehicle was set alight. Offices of the Emalahleni Housing Company (EHC) were also vandalised.
The protestors demanded that the Chief Executive Officer of EHC, Mr George Xaba and his management team resign.
They also complained of poor service delivery and stated that they want to be controlled by the local municipality.
This is not the first protest by the residents of Uthingo Park, in November last year they were protesting about the same issues and there has been other several protests in the past.
“We have engaged the Human Settlement Department, president office, local municipality, office of the executive mayor, Department of Co-operatives Governance and Traditional Affairs and nobody wants to listen to us. We want to be controlled by the local municipality. We are not going to vote in the national elections,” they said.
“#Xaba must step down, enough is enough they shouted, we are tired of saying the same thing over and over again. The issue is about the CEO and his management team. They do things as if Uthingo Park belongs to them and their families,” shouted the residents.
Ms Rose Chetty, general manager business and community development of EHC said there was an unlawful and criminal attempt to destroy Emalahleni Housing Company’s head office in Beatty Avenue in the early hours of Tuesday, January 22 which was fortunately unsuccessful.
She also added by saying that unfortunately the unlawful and criminal behaviour did not stop at EHC’s head office but continued at the EHC’s social housing complex, Uthingo Park, in Tasbet Park X6, on Wednesday night, January 23 where the offices at the complex, the storeroom and a vehicle were destroyed by a criminal group.
“It has come to EHC’s attention that some tenants might be associated with this group of criminals. SAPS is currently investigating this criminal group. It is important that tenants must not be misled by this group of criminals into believing that the social housing units should be given to them free of charge and that they should not be charged any rental. This belief is far from the truth, speculative, misleading and not in accordance with the Social Housing legislation. Emalahleni Housing Company is a fully accredited social housing institution that conducts its business in accordance with the law and in compliance with the regulatory framework of the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) as contemplated in Social Housing Act No. 16 of 2008. Social housing is a government instrument and institutional arrangement that is meant to provide affordable rental accommodation to people within the low to middle income brackets. Rentals are regulated and kept at a minimum through government subsidies,” said Ms Chetty.
She added to say that Uthingo Park is a social housing or affordable rental housing project and not a low cost housing project where beneficiaries are entitled to ownership.
She pointed it out that the perception that is being created that the units can be handed over to people for ownership is far from the truth.
“Uthingo Park was established with public funds (institutional subsidies) and must be managed by a fully accredited social housing institution as is the case currently. EHC is currently investigating the matter further and we are considering all legal avenues,” added Ms Chetty.
