Dream homes again nightmare
BARELY a year after moving into their rectified RDP houses, some Egoli residents are finding the nightmare starting all over again.
Cracks are forming, mould is growing on the inside walls and the new units flood during heavy rains.
As a result, some of the residents have refused to sign “happy” letters on the houses.
Buffalo City Metro (BCM) DA ward councillor Irene Brauns said she had been inundated with complaints from the occupants.
The R14-million rectification project was launched last year by the human settlements department, which brought contractors in to demolish and rebuild 382 defective housing units.
Some of the complaints on the old houses that were built in the 1990s included constant flooding during heavy rain, water seeping through the foundations and cracks appearing on the walls.
This week Brauns said similar defects were starting to show on the new houses.
“Some of the new houses are still flooding during heavy rains.
“Cracks are starting to form on some of the units and the majority of the houses are damp and covered with mould on the interior walls,” said Brauns.
She said as a result of these defects, most of the occupants had refused to sign satisfaction or “happy letters” on the units.
Felicity Bloem said barely a month after moving into her new house in March this year, she noticed the walls were damp.
“The dampness got so bad that water would run down the walls.
“A few months later the entire house was covered in mould,” said Bloem.
Mfundiseli Matshini has no choice but to prop up his fridge and washing machine against the back door to keep it closed, as the frame was too small for the door.
“This door has never been able to close. I did report it to the contractor but it was never fixed,” said Matshini.
He said he also has to endure constant sewage spills from pipes that were left exposed in his yard after construction. Some of the occupants say they still experience flooding during heavy rains.
Vuyisile Tukani, whose new house was built in a ditch that is about three meters deep, said he still has to sweep water out of his house when it rained.
“Nothing much has changed with the new house. My house still gets wet during rain and water still seeps through the window seals,” said Tukani, who also showed the Dispatch a crack on his bedroom wall.
By the time of writing the department of human settlements had not responded to questions sent to them on Monday. —