Housing backlog protests addressed

PEOPLE from other provinces who flock to Gauteng for greener pastures was the reason why the province was facing a major housing backlog of 600 000 homes.

This was the assertion of human settlements deputy director-general Keith Khoza against the backdrop of another housing protest that saw Diepkloof, Soweto, residents taking to the streets and blocking a road with burning tyres.

The residents complained that they had been waiting for RDP houses which they had signed up for more than 20 years ago, as well as for service delivery, but were continually sidelined by the government while foreigners and nonresidents were prioritised.

They used burning tyres to barricade Immink Drive, singing and demanding that government officials meet with them to resolve this burning issue.

This action, they said, was the only way to get the government to hear their calls, as they had been petitioning the authorities on the issue for months, but to no avail.

One of the protesters, Noluthando Sigasa, said: “How is it possible for foreigners and those not originally from Diepkloof to benefit, while we suffer in cramped living conditions?

“We’ve been sending petition after petition to the housing MMC, with no reaction, but we saw that other protesters’ demands were met following their protests.”

Sigasa said the only response they received from the numerous petitions was from the City of Joburg housing MMC’s office, in which they were told the reason their demands were not being heard was because Diepkloof was considered a suburb and therefore not a priority.

Sigasa also alleged that RDP houses had been in Motsoaledi, Soweto, but that only a small percentage had been allocated to local residents. The remainder were being sold or given to foreigners and non-residents.

“The way people are living leads to violence among family members and illnesses, especially among older people; this has to come to an end,” she said.

Another protester, Botiki Padi, said that as someone who had taken part in the liberation Struggle, it was hard to see residents’ demands not being met by the government.

“We took part in the fight for freedom, but since that hardwon freedom, government is yet to deliver on its housing promise from 1996,” he said.

Padi said they would continue protesting and mobilising other communities if their demands were not met.

Khoza acknowledged there was a massive backlog in the province. “The reason is the vast number of people flocking to the province in search for jobs.

“They end up settling in informal settlements and the cost of managing these settlement has become burdensome.”

Khoza said the living conditions in informal settlements were so poor that the government had been forced to prioritise the housing needs of these dwellers instead of those on the waiting list.

He acknowledged the unfairness and said the process was being reviewed and the waiting list was being mainstreamed.

Regarding allegations of foreigners and non-residents getting priority over locals, Khoza said they were aware of these claims, but they were proving difficult to verify.

“We’ve continually asked for information regarding this but we’ve not got any, making these allegations difficult to substantiate,” he said.

By the time of publication, the City of Joburg had yet to respond to queries from The Star.