City asked to probe sale of RDP houses to drug lords

A GROUP of 157 displaced families from different areas of the Cape Flats have raised renewed calls for the City to investigate housing units allegedly being rented out and sold to drug lords, gangsters and foreign nationals.

Calling themselves Backyard Dwellers of the Cape Flats theyrecently met the City to highlight the plight of Cape Flats residents.

A backyard-dweller, who asked to be referred to as Sharri, said people were not only renting their houses out, but were selling them to drug lords for next to nothing while people were evicted by landlords due to rental arrears.

“We had a meeting with the city last week and our grievances were tabled. We have been liaising with the government for the last two months, but nothing is happening. All these people are on the database and have been on the list for close to 30 years. Meanwhile there are many houses that have been sold to foreign nationals. This means they do not need them while there are people who sleep outside. The system is failing us,” she said.

A Cape Flats activist, who also asked to not be named for fear of reprisal, said in some of these areas where the gangsters and drug lords take over, people are made to pay them taxes to live there.

“I hope the city can do something about this, that has been going on for years in the Cape Flats and clean up these places. There are a lot of things happening in Cape Town, and especially in the Cape Flats that need intervention from the law that people cannot fix. It’s getting worse and the city should stop pointing fingers for once and get (the) Red Ants, which are doing great work in certain areas. Why not do that in all the areas?,” he said.

Mayoral committee members for human settlement, Malusi Booi, said according to legislation, a recipient of a Breaking New Ground (BNG) house (the old RDP houses) must keep the house for at least eight years before it can be disposed of. He said if it was disposed of after eight years, it was an acceptable free market transaction.

“During the first eight years, it is property of the State and may not be rented out or used for any form of illegal activity,” he said.