Subsidy threat to home
Three-year wait may put family out
ADISABLED East London man who was medically boarded four years ago after suffering multiple strokes, now fears that he along with his family of six will be left destitute as the house they are living is on the verge of being sold.
David Mdyogolo, 54, and his family are worried that a relative will follow through on her threat to kick them out after they had tried for the past three years to obtain a government housing subsidy.
The house in NU 2 Mdantsane has been rented to the family since 2009.
When the owner threatened to kick them out, the family put in an offer to buy it but their offer was unsuccessful as they were unable to get the subsidy.
Mdyogolo, who applied for a housing subsidy in 2014, said he had come to an agreement with the homeowner that he would pay rates and taxes in lieu of rent.
“We have already paid so much money to the family to ensure that they do not sell the house out from under us but now they are threatening us again, saying they have found a buyer.
“I worry that we will end up on the street if they kick us out because now we have nowhere to go,” he said.
Mdyogolo. who uses a crutch to assist him with walking, shares the house with his wife, their three children, one grand daughter and his mother.
His daughter, Melissa Mdyogolo, 25, said they had had difficulties with the provincial human settlement department.
Mzukisi Solani, spokesman for the department, said: “This is not our responsibility. It is a BCM (Buffalo City Metro) issue.”
Melissa said: “We have been told that we qualify but we are still being given the runaround and it makes us uneasy because what if we can’t get the subsidy, then we will be out on the street.”
The family claim they have paid the house owner, Nomsimelo Mkosana, more than R7 000 as a deposit while the subsidy process takes its course.
“We paid them R7 000 like a deposit because they wanted that up-front. Now they want R96 000 for the house which is what the housing subsidy would have been in 2015, but we have not heard anything back from them (the department).
Mkosana was adamant the house would be sold despite running the risk of this leaving her nephew and his family on the street.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the family should approach their ward councillor and apply for an RDP house to be built for them.
He could not comment on the housing subsidy issue. — oreillya@