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Two Johannesburg housing officials, along with two accomplices, have been arrested on charges of fraud and corruption linked to a syndicate involving land and RDP houses, the City of Joburg said yesterday.

The officials and their accomplices were released on R5 000 bail each after appearing at the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court. Their case was postponed to April 11.

In a statement, Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said a syndicate working in collusion with the department of housing, municipal officials and a councillor started allocating stands to people for a fee before unsuspecting individuals bought the said stands.

Mashaba said a similar modus operandi applied to the allocation of RDP houses. Many of the victims have already constructed houses on illegally sold land.

“The syndicate’s main target were people who did not qualify for home loans and/or earned a salary that is outside the bracket of legible beneficiaries,” Mashaba said.

“It is disgraceful that officials and politicians were taking advantage of our people’s desperation for their own enrichment.”

The arrests follow an investigation conducted by the city’s anticorruption unit, headed by General Shadrack Sibiya, who worked closely with the Hawks and the prosecuting authority.

Mashaba said his administration was committed to finding sustainable solutions to Joburg’s housing challenges.

“I am informed that these arrests are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to housing corruption in the city and we expect a number of further arrests to be made in the near future,” Mashaba said.

“The City of Joburg faces major housing challenges. This administration has inherited a housing backlog of over 300 000 units and the city is only able to build an estimated 3 500 houses per year. This means it will take almost a century to catch up with the current backlog.”

The city’s housing list is being audited to ensure that its integrity is beyond reproach.

Johannesburg has more than 3 100 incomplete housing units. – ANA

The syndicate’s main target were people who did not qualify for home loans and/or earned a salary that is outside the bracket of legible beneficiaries.

Herman Mashaba

Johannesburg mayor