A housing development meant to benefit residents of Delmore informal settlement and surrounding areas has been left idle with no show of houses – only toilets – for about six years now.
Situated at the Balmoral Extension Four site, the stagnant housing project has caused frustration for residents of Delmore who said their dream of moving into their new homes looks bleak.
According to one of the community leaders, Sizwe Hlatswayo, a lot of people applied for houses in 2016 after they were told that the Department of Human Settlements was planning to build houses in that area.
“In that same year, we then started seeing contractors building about 297 toilets but since then we haven’t seen any foundations of bricks being laid for houses. For the past few years, millions of rands have been spent on building toilets but no houses have been built.”
He said the toilet structures have also been prone to theft and vandalism.
“Plumbing materials, like taps, pipes and doors have been stolen because the site was abandoned. The toilets have also been a hiding place for criminals at night.
“Last year, a new contractor came on board to fix the toilets and security guards were hired in the area to guard the properties.”
China Modise (61), who has been a resident of Delmore informal settlement since 1994, said they are still waiting for the houses that the government promised them.
“For the past few years, we have been left in the dark with regards to what’s happening with the housing development project.
“By now, we thought we would be living in a proper house but that hasn’t happened because we are not seeing any progress. We are not even sure what sort of houses are they, all we know is that they were planning to build houses.”
Modise added that the service stands are way too small for people who have big families.
“These serviced stands are so small, it’ll be difficult to have parking space, especially if there’s a funeral. Extended family members who come from the villages won’t be able to fit inside the house,” he said.
Another resident, George Xulu, said he is confused about why they started building toilets instead of houses.
“Our struggles of living in shacks will remain because we won’t agree to move to such small housing.
“We have bigger yards where we live now. We hope the government will address us soon,” said Xulu.
Qualify
Ward 21 councillor Frans Ngomane said the delay is due to community members who haven’t been forthcoming.
“The project has been ongoing even before I became a councillor. The residents were shown what kind of houses the municipality was planning to build but when I took over, the community said they didn’t know anything.
“During my engagement with the community, they complained about the size of the serviced stands. The metro has made it clear that there is a shortage of land; hence, this is where they can build houses.
“There are people who have been added to the list of beneficiaries who don’t qualify.”
Ngomane said some people have applied for the houses but through investigations, it was discovered that they’ve benefitted from other housing projects, which resorted to them being disqualified.
He added that the houses that are being built are high-rise flats and said preference will be given to the elderly and the youth.
“The metro is in its final stages of concluding its database and a community meeting will be held soon to update everyone about the project.”
The Advertiser is awaiting comment from the metro.
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