LEBOGANG SEALE
T he GAUTENG province has spent millions of rand on shoddily built houses.
The Kliptown Golf Course Residence in Soweto was given a clearance certificate of occupancy despite the defects, and no one had so far accepted responsibility. The homes were supposed to be part of an exclusive, upmarket residential estate built around the serenity of a golf course.
But behind the façade of the double-storey apartments are houses with shaky, cracked wooden slabs, stained and mouldy bathroom walls, seeping water and leaking sewerage pipes. Defective geysers are awkwardly mounted in the dining rooms and the windows don’t close properly.
The Gauteng Housing Department would not disclose the amount spent on the project, saying R39 million was spent on 101 units in 2005, when construction started. But The Star has reliably learnt that the budget for building 300 housing units in the 2010/11 financial year was R20.8m. The department had budgeted R26.1m for 380 units for the 2011/12 financial year.
The project is a joint venture between Imisebe and another company. Imisebe managing director Bonke Mkhonto refused to comment last night.
Despite the millions spent, residents have complained of shoddy workmanship and poor design, claiming the properties they occupy are not worth the price.
“These houses are so degrading. They are not worth the price we paid. We feel so cheated by our own government,” lamented Yvonne Hlungwani, one of the community leaders.
The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) said they had not issued certificates of warranty to the Kliptown Golf Course houses because the developer (department) was not granted an enrolment status – a form of registration for new homes.
“The department attempted to enrol a project in Kliptown in 2006… It never returned the project for home enrolment,” said NHBRC marketing manager Conrad Mörs.
“The NHBRC can only inspect projects that are enrolled with the NHBRC, ensuring that quality inspections are done during construction of the homes, and that rectification is done during the build process,” he said.
He added that the City of Johannesburg was responsible for issuing the occupational certificate, a document that certifies that a building has been completed in accordance with the approved building plan.
Attempts to get comment from the city were unsuccessful.
Rory Gallocher, executive director of the Johannesburg Social Housing Company, which is the council’s property management subsidiary, also admitted that there were defects with the project.
“There is an element of truth in that (the residents’ complaints). In the business of housing, especially in new projects, there will always be a list of things that need to be fixed,” he said.
Gallocher attributed the delay in fixing the defects to the Housing Department’s slowness in reappointing contractors.
Like many residents who used to “squat” in shacks and back-rooms around Soweto, Sandra Siaga was thrilled when she finally had a place to call home.
But her excitement soon turned into a nightmare.
“Just look at this roof without a ceiling. They said it’s ‘Italian design’,” said Siaga, pointing at the network of electric cables on the wooden roof.
Another resident, Nthabiseng Phaahla, said: “The walls are so cracked that when somebody is bathing, you can see the steam coming through the walls.”
Housing spokesman Motsamai Motlhaolwa said the affected residents would be moved to new completed units while the existing ones were being fixed.