Gauteng housing projects invaded as beneficiaries wait for homes
Fourteen of Gauteng's 45 government-funded housing projects have been illegally occupied, leaving legitimate beneficiaries waiting for homes amid costly eviction processes and project delays.
In Gauteng, 14 out of 45 major government-funded housing projects have been illegally occupied over the past five years, leaving many impoverished families living in squalor while waiting for their homes. The Gauteng department of human settlements confirmed the issue during a legislature session. The department attempted to address the problem by appointing security firms to monitor and enforce eviction orders, but they warned that each eviction order would cost approximately R1.5 million, potentially limiting their ability to swiftly remove illegal occupants.
The DA's Gauteng MPL, Mervyn Cirota, criticized the government for not taking swift legal action against unlawful occupants and for not preventing the invasions, stating that millions of rands in public investment were being surrendered to unlawful occupants while legitimate beneficiaries continued to wait for their homes.
Portfolio committee on human settlements chair, Nocks Seabi, identified mismanagement of beneficiary lists as a significant problem, suggesting that a digital platform should be implemented to accurately record and identify intended beneficiaries from the initial conception of a housing project. Seabi also pointed out that project delays, such as non-payment of contractors and delays in approvals, were exacerbating the issue by leaving completed or near-completed houses vulnerable to illegal occupation.
Seabi urged the department to develop and institutionalize a digital beneficiary list system, improve communication between the department, municipalities, and communities, and increase cooperation between the department, municipalities, and law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute corruption. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of engaging communities from the beginning of housing developments and implementing the upgrading of informal settlements policy to prevent residents from being potentially deprived of housing benefits due to inaccurate municipal records.
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