At least 14 000 residents in the Overstrand Municipality are awaiting the construction of their homes as exasperated applicants call for further investigations into the allocation of government houses and the sale of public land.
The renewed calls come amid an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into allegations of maladministration and corruption over the allocation of houses in the DA-run municipality.
The probe followed a signed proclamation by President Cyril Ramaphosa in December authorising the SIU to dig into complaints and allegations of maladministration over the approval and allocation of houses and sites.
Overstrand mayor, Annelie Rabie, said the probe was expected to be finalised by the end of June.
Two senior municipal officials have since resigned although Rabie said any direct link to the probe was speculation.
Some residents said this week that they were left out in the cold in the allocation of new Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses in a new project on Swartdam Road.
Rabie said there were in excess of 14 000 names on the waiting list in the area.
A Zwelihle resident in Hermanus, Liziwe Alvert, who said her application for a state-constructed house was approved in January, had now been allegedly bumped on to another waiting list for a project in Gansbaai.
“When I checked the progress of allocation online in April I found that I had already been allocated a house in Swartdam Road - the house number was there.
“The officials in the municipality that deal with allocations told me, along with others on the waiting list, to wait for the handover of keys. But in May some of those who had signed the papers at the same time with me moved into their homes.
“When I checked online and enquired again, I was told that I have to wait for another project yet to be constructed in Gansbaai. The house that had been initially allocated to me is now occupied by someone else.”
She said she had waited for 21 years for an RDP house and would like to see heightened interventions by authorities to address the crisis.
“If you are not able to rub someone’s palm, you might end up with no house,” alleged Alvert.
Community activist, Masibulele Jimlongo, also called on Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane to also urgently intervene.
Jimlongo said the alleged maladministration and corruption over the allocation of the houses remained rampant despite the probe.
He said an impasse over the housing development of Schulphoek would also be resolved with Kubayi-Ngubane’s intervention.
“In and around 2010 the municipality sold 46 hectares of prime land known as Schulphoek, now dubbed Dubai, to a private developer at a cost of R5.3 million without community consultation and amid a rising need for houses.
“After an outcry and protests by residents the land was bought back in 2019 for R31.7m.
“It’s such decisions that have angered residents and call for a thorough investigation,” said Jimlongo.
Jimlongo alleged that two senior officials in the municipality’s Human Settlements Department had resigned amid the SIU investigation.
In February the municipality and provincial Department of Infrastructure entered into a Land Availability Agreement, enabling the department to be the developer of the Schulphoek housing project.
The project, which has experienced several delays since the provincial government bought back the land in 2018, is estimated to deliver between 2 500 to 3 000 opportunities to respond to the housing backlog in the area.
Another resident, Ntsikelelo Demesha, said since he first submitted an application in 2004 there had been multiple “obstacles” placed on his path toward a home.
“From discovering that my wife’s details had been altered to being told that my application was still pending, it has been a roller-coaster ride. I am nowhere close to being allocated a house. Instead my wife and I watch as young people, some of whom are known to be public servants move into the houses,” said Demesha.
He appealed to authorities to ensure fairness and transparency in the process.
“I have no idea how the allocation is done because we’ve been waiting for close to 20 years. All I want is a house for my family to live in dignity. My children have been living in a shack with no electricity,” said Demesha.
Jimlongo also expressed concern that the alleged maladministration over the allocation of houses would fuel tensions between the coloured and black residents as some residents were allegedly being “chased away” from certain areas.
Rabie referred questions on the allocation of houses to the provincial department, which in turn said the allocation of houses was a “sole prerogative” of the municipality.
Although Rabie acknowledged a need for housing across the Overstrand, she said her “biggest single concern” currently was the development of the Schulphoek.
Regarding the resignation of the housing officials, she said whether the decisions were directly linked to the SIU investigation was “speculation”.
According to Rabie, one of the officials wanted to further his studies.