Threats, bribery claims in RDP row
A BUFFALO City Metro couple who recently moved into their RDP house say they have been threatened after refusing to pay a bribe of R50 000.
Themba Nocanda, 35, and his wife Gcobisa Mbovane, 30, who live in Chicken Farm near Reeston, East London, say they are living in fear after four people calling themselves members of a Chicken Farm housing committee threatened to harm the family and burn down their RDP house if they did not pay.
The bribe had initially been R2 000 but increased over time as the couple refused to pay up.
Nocanda had been renting in the area for five years and only last week did he move into his new RDP house.
In a police affidavit seen by the Dispatch, Mbovane stated that she and her husband had been “harassed by the Chicken Farm [housing] committee”.
“Four committee members came to our house on two different occasions demanding money for an RDP house,” she alleged.
“They also invited us to a meeting in Chicken Farm demanding the same and threatened to give the house to someone else on failure to make the payment.”
In her affidavit Mbovane claims that the members even went to her workplace demanding money and threatened to burn down her RDP house and harm her family if they failed to pay R50 000.
“My wife and I applied for a house after we were made aware that there were houses due for those living in Chicken Farm.
“We were also made aware by [some people] that we should prepare a ‘drink’ [a bribe],” said Nocanda, who would not name the person for fear of further victimisation.
Nocanda said they were prepared to pay a bribe until they were told the amount, which was far more than they could afford.
“Our [application] for a house was approved last year by the department,” he said.
Human settlements spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said the function of a housing committee, which is elected by the community, had nothing to do with approving houses. He warned people to be careful of those promising government services for money when those services were free.
“RDP houses are free and they are approved by the department after a beneficiary meets the criteria drawn by the department.
“The housing committee only assists in liaising with the community over the state of the construction process,” said Scwetsha.
He said the department would launch a special investigation into the Chicken Farm housing committee and urged all those that had paid bribes for houses in the area to come forward.
“If there is anyone else who has been asked for money by the committee they must come to the department so that we can quickly look into this criminal activity,” said Sicwetsha.
“The intimidation increased until we felt forced to go to the police,” said Nocanda.
Police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala confirmed to have received a statement from Nocanda confirming that the 35year-old had opened a complaint.
“The gentleman did not want to lay a criminal charge but was attended. The station commander held a meeting with him and one member of the committee and it was said in the meeting that if the threats persisted he should consider opening a criminal case,” said Mqala.
Ward 13 councillor Nokulunga Matiwane said yesterday that she had asked BCM to intervene in the Chicken Farm project. “In Chicken Farm there is no housing committee anymore – we are still going to elect a new committee.
“We are also conducting a process that will inform us what exactly is going on with the houses at Chicken Farm,” said Matiwane.
Attempts by the Dispatch to get comment from the self-professed committee members had not succeeded by deadline. —