Squatters occupy 14 of 45 Gauteng housing projects as beneficiaries wait
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Almost one in three major government-funded housing projects in Gauteng has been illegally occupied by squatters, with the provincial human settlements department confirming that 14 of 45 projects have been invaded over the past five years.
Almost one in three major government-funded housing projects in Gauteng has been invaded by squatters, leaving hundreds of poor families who are legitimately on housing waiting lists living in squalor, a Citizen investigation has found.
The Gauteng department of human settlements confirmed that 14 of 45 housing projects have been illegally occupied over the past five years. The disclosure was made by department officials in response to questions in the Gauteng legislature, where the issue of illegal occupation of government-funded housing projects was first raised in September last year.
The department told the legislature it had appointed a panel of security companies to monitor and conduct surveillance at housing projects, prevent land invasions and assist with the enforcement of eviction orders. However, it warned that removing illegal occupants would be costly, estimating each eviction order at about R1.5 million, a financial burden that could limit its ability to act swiftly.
DA Gauteng MPL Mervyn Cirota said the department could not use budget constraints as an excuse while millions of rands in public investment were surrendered to unlawful occupants and legitimate beneficiaries continued to wait. Portfolio committee on human settlements chair Nocks Seabi said illegal occupation remained a widespread challenge across the country, and identified the mismanagement of beneficiary lists as a main problem.
Seabi said delays in completing housing projects were worsening the problem. In many projects, houses were nearly complete but could not be occupied by rightful beneficiaries because of challenges including the non-payment of contractors and delays in approvals by the National Home Builders Registration Council. He urged the department to develop a digital beneficiary list system allowing beneficiaries to verify their position and the project from which they were expected to benefit.
Thapelo Mohapi of Abahlali baseMjondolo said the organisation was aware of allegations that government officials had been involved in the sale of houses intended for beneficiaries, including in the eThekwini municipality during the allocation stage. He said some residents were receiving municipal water bills for houses they had never occupied, which could later count against them when applying for housing.