Roodepoort Subsidised Housing: Illegal Occupation Blocks Beneficiaries

• Margaret Verland, a 66-year-old resident, was allocated a subsidised flat in Roodepoort in 2018 but found it illegally occupied, forcing her to remain in an informal settlement.
• Other beneficiaries, like Fundiswa and Bongani Duda, allege their allocated homes were sold by housing officials for sums up to R15,000, leaving them in dire living conditions.
• The Princess Plots housing project, intended to alleviate housing shortages, has seen only one of six planned phases completed, with claims that government officials have received units over qualifying residents.
• Residents from various informal settlements, supported by the Gauteng Housing Crisis Committee, marched to demand transparency in housing allocations and prioritize long-standing applicants.
• The City of Johannesburg Human Settlements Department acknowledges a housing backlog exceeding 300,000 households and states it is investigating allegations of illegal occupation and fraud.

This systemic issue has left numerous approved beneficiaries, some allocated homes as far back as 2015, in precarious living conditions while others unlawfully occupy their designated residences.

A significant number of approved beneficiaries for subsidised housing in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, are finding their allocated flats illegally occupied, forcing them to remain in informal settlements. Margaret Verland, a 66-year-old resident of the Princess informal settlement since 1992, was allocated flat D22 in the nearby Princess Plots housing project in 2018. Despite this official allocation, she never received the keys to her new home. Upon visiting the flat, she discovered it was occupied by an individual who claimed to be renting from the owner and refused to vacate the premises. Eight years later, Ms. Verland continues to reside in a small shack with her children and grandchildren, enduring unsanitary conditions with sewage flowing near her home and shared communal toilets.

This situation is not isolated. Fundiswa Duda and her husband, Bongani Duda, were listed as approved beneficiaries in 2015 but never received a unit number. After numerous unsuccessful inquiries at the City of Johannesburg Human Settlements Department, they suspect their allocated home, registered in Bongani's name, was illicitly sold. Similarly, Gladys Monnamme, 60, was allocated flat D4 and repeatedly attempted to persuade its occupant to leave. The occupant asserted they had paid for the flat, even declining Ms. Monnamme's offer to reimburse the alleged payment. These incidents highlight a pervasive issue within the Princess Plots development, which was constructed between 2015 and 2018, approximately 500 metres from the Princess informal settlement, home to over 4,000 households.

The widespread illegal occupation points to potential Johannesburg housing allocation fraud within the municipal system. Ms. Verland suspects a local housing official was responsible for selling her allocated flat. The Duda couple also claims that an official has been selling homes in the area for sums reaching R15,000. This alleged corruption has severe consequences for legitimate beneficiaries; Fundiswa Duda fears she and her husband may be ineligible for future housing allocations because the national Department of Human Settlements' database already lists them as having received a home.

Further compounding the Princess Plots housing dispute, the project, initially planned for six phases, has seen only one phase completed. This leaves many qualifying individuals stranded in the informal settlement, which suffers from frequent sewage spills and flooding during rainy seasons. Concerns have also been raised that government officials, including police officers and teachers, have been allocated flats within the project, while the intended beneficiaries remain in substandard living conditions.

In response to these pervasive issues, residents from the Princess informal settlement, alongside those from Car Centre, Thembelihle, Dobsonville, Durban Deep, and Mountain City near Orange Farm, participated in a march organised by the Gauteng Housing Crisis Committee. The demonstration, directed at the Gauteng premier's office, sought to demand the allocation of rightful homes. Edwin Masina, representing the committee, underscored the frustration, noting that many parents still await housing three decades into South Africa's democracy. The committee's demands included prioritizing applicants from 1996, pensioners, and elderly persons with disabilities, as well as advocating for greater transparency in the housing waiting list.

The City of Johannesburg Human Settlements Department has acknowledged that some residents who applied for subsidised housing as far back as 1996 have yet to receive their homes. The department also confirmed that the city's housing backlog currently exceeds 300,000 households and continues to grow. City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane stated that the department takes allegations of unreceived houses very seriously and is committed to addressing them with appropriate urgency, diligence, and due process. A spokesperson for Gauteng human settlements, Tahir Sema, also commented on situations where allocated units are found to be occupied by other individuals.

The ongoing Roodepoort subsidised housing illegal occupation crisis highlights significant challenges in public sector housing allocation and oversight. The discrepancies between official allocations and actual occupancy, coupled with allegations of officials selling units, point to potential systemic vulnerabilities within the City of Johannesburg Human Settlements Department. This systemic issue has left numerous approved beneficiaries, some allocated homes as far back as 2015, in precarious living conditions while others unlawfully occupy their designated residences.

The situation underscores the critical need for robust auditing and accountability mechanisms within municipal housing projects to protect South Africa housing beneficiaries rights. The City's acknowledgment of a substantial and growing housing backlog, alongside its commitment to investigate complaints, suggests a recognition of the problem's scale. However, the continued plight of residents like Margaret Verland and the Duda family indicates that current processes may be insufficient to prevent fraud and ensure equitable housing distribution, raising questions about compliance and the potential for legal challenges against the municipality.

Lawyers should note the potential for litigation against the City of Johannesburg for housing allocation fraud and illegal occupation. Compliance officers should be aware of public sector corruption risks in municipal housing projects and the need for robust internal controls.

Source: Original reporting via local news coverage