Houses handed over in Etwatwa

Over 140 houses were handed over to the community of Etwatwa on October 4.

Ekurhuleni executive mayor Clr Mzwandile Masina distributed a total of 147 houses as part of his 100 days in office programme.

The homes are in the Combiza section of Etwatwa.

“As previously indicated, this government is serious about providing decent houses to our people,” said the mayor’s office in a press release.

“We have set ourselves a target of 100 000 houses and 59 000 serviced stands, therefore we must be in a position to hit the ground running.

“We have a major housing backlog. That is why we are building and at the same time rolling out serviced stands.

“Furthermore, to root out fraud and corruption in provision, work will start in earnest to verify the 1996 waiting list.

“The reviewed list will be used as a reference guide going forward.

“We shall further introduce a biometric system to control the management of the list so that houses are given to their rightful beneficiaries.”

Queen Nduna (51), who has lived in Combiza since 1991, said they were elated about the development because at one stage they never thought it would ever be realised.

“Moving into a new house from a shack will be a major game-changer in our lives,” she said.

“I can now look forward to rainy days without fear of my home being washed away and property being damaged, because I now have a strong house with running water and electricity I can call home – something I could only imagine before.”

The metro said as part of the 100 days programme, a total of 292 families will soon receive proper housing in Ekurhuleni, with an additional 280 to receive title deeds.

The municipality said in the press release that it already has 11 000 title deeds to be distributed to locals in the near future.