ANC wants probe into MEC over ‘rent-free’ housing

THE ANC wants the legislature’s standing committee on public accounts, Scopa, to investigate whether Human Settlements MEC Tertius Simmers had withheld information about the department’s Gatesville rental units where tenants have allegedly been living rent free.

The complex, owned by the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, has 136 units.

ANC provincial human settlements spokesperson Andile Lili said: “The department is maintaining the Gatesville units while it does not receive anything in return. The department is busy finalising the process of handing ownership of the units over to the tenants for free.

“This has to be the biggest corruption scandal in the province since the dawn of democracy. We need Scopa to investigate this matter.”

Lili also questioned whether race was a factor when it came to who got to live in the provincial department’s rental stock in sought-after areas of the metro.

He claimed that a 67-year-old white woman had been staying in a two-bedroomed house in Naruna Estate, Plumstead, for more than 32 years, for just R100 a month. He said the market-related value for a three-bedroomed house in Plumstead was R9 500 a month, for a two bedroomed house it was R6 000, and for a one bedroomed-house it was R4 500.

Responding to Lili, Simmers accused the ANC MPL of being “fixated on race”, and said the department had to cater to everyone, regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, culture or language.

He said the department sought to ensure integration occurred with all its projects and to establish or create integrated human settlements where absent.

“In March 2020, a strategic decision was taken to redefine the rental stock and shift the focus from primarily catering for low-income housing to also serving the affordable housing market for households earning up to R22 000 a month, while also reserving opportunities to those earning more than this.

“The departmental rental units are now available to qualifying persons as determined by the new rental turnaround strategy, based on households with a combined income of between R7 500 and R22 000. The monthly rental for this income group is determined on a sliding scale.

Meanwhile, during the debate, human settlements standing committee member Andricus van der Westhuizen

(DA) called out Lili, a fellow member of the committee, for no longer attending meetings of the committee, which existed to maintain oversight of the department.

“I am grateful for this question from Lili as I was getting concerned about his view of his oversight role and membership of this House. We are missing you at our meetings. You have been absent from all meetings of the standing committee since April 1, 2021. I feel sorry you also missed the standing committee oversight visit to Bothasig Gardens which caters for families earning between R1 500 and R5 000.

“You would have seen the beautiful buildings and the demographics of the tenants. I wish you had been there to satisfy yourself of the difference that such social housing is making to those who cannot afford market-related prices,” Van der Westhuizen said.