They have new houses, on paper, but live in shacks

WHEN they heard that they would soon be firsttime RDP home owners, two young Wells Estate shack dwellers were over the moon.

But their joy soon turned to despair when their quest for formal housing was forced onto the back burner, like thousands of others occupying seemingly permanent positions on Nelson Mandela Bay’s government housing lists.

On paper, both Pamela Nkohla, 33, and Bathandwa Hambi, 35, are registered as new owners of RDP houses in Wells Estate.

Despite discovering that their applications for government housing had been approved last year, both continue to live in misery in shacks.

“It was by fluke that I found out I am a beneficiary. Trouble started when it was brought to the attention of the late Ward 60 [Wells Estate] councillor Nandikho Gana that someone was living in my house,” Nkohla said.

“She [Gana] was furious. She demanded to know why I went to the house. I explained to her that I simply wanted to view the house.”

While Nkohla and Hambi’s new homes are about 800m from their Tshazimpunzi Street shacks, the two are unable to gain access to the properties.

Outlining his troubles, Hambi said that after a five-year wait, he had taken his identity document to the local housing board to check on his RDP house application.

“The printout showed it was registered in my name. I was excited. I went to view the house but there was someone else,” Hambi said.

“I asked the lady what was going on. She replied that late councillor Gana gave her permission to occupy the house.”

In 2013, Kohla and Hambi were among a group of residents relocated from Ramaphosa Village to Wells Estate, where they expected that a better life was waiting for them.

Newly elected ANC Ward 60 councillor Mvuzo Mbelekane said he had been informed of 21 houses, including Kohla and Hambi’s new homes, that had been illegally invaded by community members frustrated by the slow home allocation process.

“I blame the municipality. I blame Nqaba Bhanga, MMC for human settlements and the new administration for all that has happened,” he said.

He said that earlier this year he had invited a municipal official to a meeting with residents, where they had raised concerns around the time applicants spent on the list.

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said Department of Human Settlements officials had been tasked with visiting the houses, investigating the situation and providing a report.

The report was expected to be handed over yesterday.