The tenant of the house could not even purchase electricity, as the house “did not exist”.
The tenant of the house could not even purchase electricity, as the house “did not exist”.
Bitou politicians are calling for “prudence and integrity” when it comes to housing allocation in Plettenberg Bay after discovering what has been dubbed a “ghost RDP house” in Kwanokuthula.
Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM) president Nokuzola Kolwapi said she was called by community members who found themselves in a “desperate situation” on Monday 27 September.
“Upon my arrival, there were tenants who were claiming that they have been renting for the past two weeks. The conflict arose when another family arrived and claimed ownership of the house,” Kolwapi said.
It emerged that the contested phase 5 home, registered as number 13433, did not reflect on Bitou housing plans or housing lists.
The Bitou Municipality was informed about the issue. “The municipality could not play its oversight role of ensuring that an allocated house is inspected and done with prudence. They instead left community members to fight among themselves,” said Kolwapi.
The tenant of the house could not even purchase electricity, as the house “did not exist”.
“The most heart-breaking problem here is that community members were left victim. Furniture and clothing had to be left with different neighbours. Families had to be moved in the darkness of the night due to the lack of prudence and accountability.”
Kolwapi called on the municipality to act with “prudence and integrity” when it came to housing allocation.
“We will also be wri-ting to the head of community services in the Bitou Municipality. The department must explain to us how this happened, where an RDP house just appeared out of thin air.”
The municipality did not respond before going to print, but municipal spokesman Andile Namntu said that the query had been sent to the relevant department and that he was waiting for feedback.
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