Residents take over RDP housing units
Department accused of failure to allocate
Kliptown community members have illegally occupied low-cost houses they claim have been idle since 2016.
The housing units in Kliptown Extension 11 in Soweto were meant to house residents from a nearby informal settlement by the end of last year.
The delays in handing over led to the housing units being vandalised, and water and sewerage infrastructure damaged. In February, residents staged a protest to raise their concern over the damage.
Yesterday, the fed-up community continued with the occupation of the remaining homes – which began after a community meeting at the weekend – saying they could not wait any longer.
Community leader Eric Madolwane said they began occupying about 100 vacant and incomplete structures on Saturday.
“We have been living in squalor for many years and after a community meeting on Saturday, we decided to occupy these houses because they were being vandalised or people were moving in illegally,” Madolwane said.
He was one of the many residents who were seen cleaning housing units yesterday, while others carried building material to “fix defects”.
Fana Lephoto, 28, said his late grandmother died before she could live in the house that was allocated to her.
“My grandmother lived in Kliptown for over 30 years. She registered for a house, it was approved before she died but nothing has happened. After the meeting I decided to occupy the chaos was still lying on the floor while medical waste was strewn along the steps.
DA Shadow MEC for health Jack Bloom said he had been receiving calls from workers and distressed patients about rumours that the facility would be shut down today.
Gauteng health spokesman one of the houses and fix it because my grandmother is a beneficiary,” Lephoto said.
He said residents were angered after human settlements department allocated houses to a few residents 2017 and promised to complete the process this year.
Keith Khoza, Gauteng human settlements spokesman, said meetings between government and the community took place in a bid to resolve the issues.
“The department condemns both the vandalism and the invasion of the houses as both have delayed development, and it will cost extra resources which could have been used to build other houses,” Khoza said.
‘‘ I decided to occupy the house because my late grandma is a beneficiary
Lesemang Matuka dismissed rumours that striking workers would close the hospital.
Matuka said the head of the department had met with workers and they agreed to suspend the strike.
He said a case of vandalism had been opened with police.