“My brother, Patrick Vilane, receive a stand from the government in 2005.”
Unfortunately Patrick passed away in 2007 before the RDP house was built.
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“I immediately gathered all the documentation of everything he owned so I could protect his children, who were 12 and six years old at the time.”
Vilane explains his brother lived with someone at the time of his death, and the woman continued to live in the zinc shack on the property.
He adds, “Our family met with the lady to remind her that my brother’s sons have inherited the property, to which she agreed.”
Vilane claims that the RDP houses in the section were then built between 2013 and 2014, and the lady signed for all the work being done by the contractors.
“This is when my nephew, who is now in his 20s, desired to live in his father’s house.”
He claims when he went back to the house to speak to the woman who still lived in it, they were not well received.
“The community really believes she deserves to live there, because she has been there for such a long time,” says Vilane.
He says the neighbours tried to remove them physically from the property, and police were called.
“I’ve been to the Department of Housing, the SAPS, the Legal Aid Board – but none of it has been really fruitful.“
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He says the police need an eviction order to ask the person to leave.
However, they cannot get the order without a title deed.
“I know I can’t give up, but I am really tired of this runaround.”
Thabo Motaung, councillor of ward 98, says this is a common occurrence with RDP houses.
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“People who are registered owners andthose who sign while the houses are being built usually end up in conflict over the house.”
The councillor has committed to helping Vilane and his family, and the woman who occupies the house, to reach an agreement.
