Makhado Municipality's RDP Houses Lack Water Electricity: Investigation

• Over 100 RDP homes built in 2021 in Makhado municipality lack access to water.
• 50 households do not have electricity, with some residents paying up to R300 per month for private water supplies.
• New state housing projects are being constructed in the area, but essential services installation has been delayed due to design upgrades requested by the district municipality.
• Residents claim they were not informed about the requirement to open municipal accounts and submit supporting documents before receiving connections.

The installation of essential services such as water and electricity has been delayed, with CoGHSTA attributing the delays to design upgrades requested by the district municipality.

Residents living in RDP homes built in 2021 within the Makhado municipality are still struggling with basic services, including water and electricity. According to a recent investigation by GroundUp, over 100 houses lack access to water, while 50 of these households also do not have electricity. This is despite the fact that new state housing projects are being constructed in the area, with the Limpopo Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) spending almost R30-million on 154 new houses within the municipality.

The installation of essential services such as water and electricity has been delayed, with CoGHSTA attributing the delays to design upgrades requested by the district municipality. However, residents claim that they were not informed about these upgrades or the requirement to open municipal accounts and submit supporting documents before receiving connections. This lack of transparency and communication has led to frustration among residents, who are forced to buy water privately at a cost of R300 per month for households with water tanks.

The Makhado Local Municipality has been responsible for installing electricity and water in the affected areas. However, municipal spokesperson Mpho Rathando disputed the number of households affected, claiming that only two RDP houses lacked both water and electricity connections. Despite this, residents have reported that they were not aware of the requirement to open municipal accounts and submit supporting documents before receiving connections. This raises concerns about compliance exposure for lawyers advising clients on RDP housing projects in Makhado Municipality, who should advise their clients to verify the status of essential services before taking possession of new units.

Lawyers advising clients on RDP housing projects in Makhado Municipality should be aware of the potential compliance exposure arising from delays in installing essential services, and advise their clients to verify the status of these services before taking possession of new units.

Source: Original reporting via GroundUp