THE CITY AUDIT

THE City of Joburg will only release its report on the audit of its 6 862 social housing units in March next year.

The audit is being undertaken following claims that people are occupying City housing units without permission.

Mayor Herman Mashaba said there had been delays in completing the report, by the housing department and the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco), on the legal status of occupants at 28 properties across the city.

The delays, he said, could be attributed to the process of appointing an appropriate service provider to conduct the audit, to examine whether only rightful tenants were occupying the units and that unauthorised subletting was taking place. The audit would also determine the nationality of occupants and their socioeconomic status, including household income and employment.

“I instructed that this audit take place after the member of the mayoral committee for housing, Meshack van Wyk, Joshco (acting) chief executive Christopher Dyani, and executive director of housing Thabo Maisela reported the (undetermined legal status of occupants) as a challenge within the housing space,” Mashaba said.

“In particular, communities have alleged that the properties in question are illegally occupied by persons not authorised to live at the properties.”

Joshco’s provision of housing was pivotal to attempts to change the landscape of the inner city. The company had more than 3 000 housing units at its disposal.

“It is public knowledge that the administration faces a housing crisis, one where approximately 300 000 units are required urgently if we are to make inroads against the housing backlog,” he said.

“However, this limited provision is put under pressure by an urban migration of some 3 000 people to Joburg monthly, which necessitates government to respond swiftly to managing the challenges that come with being part of a globalised society. This audit is one of the ways to ensure that residents enjoy this service-delivery aspect.”