Problems at new low-cost housing project near Welverdiend

Beneficiaries who recently received houses at a new low-cost housing project near Welverdiend are complaining about many issues.

New houses have been built next to Khutsong Extension 6 next to Welverdiend.

According to Joseph Monyakhe, who heads the committee that was set up by the Provincial Government to ensure that residents of Khutsong Extension 3 get their houses, says 753 houses were built in Phase 1 of the project since 2018.

A new contractor, Reder Construction, has built 49 new houses as part of Phase 2 of the project.

A total of R129 568 710 has been set out for the competition of Phase 2.

Residents who have been moved to the new houses are, however, experiencing a variety of problems.

“We still do not have any electricity and we often do not not have water either,” one of the residents, Maria Mofokeng, lamented.

The only way for the new residents to get water for their houses is to walk with buckets to the houses built in Phase 1 and ask residents of this part for help.

This is, however, difficult for elderly residents, who make up the bulk of the people who the new houses have been allocated to. To make matters worse some of the new houses are also already being vandalised.

“Although we were told that these houses are for people from Extension 3 who have been waiting for years for new houses, and also stay on ground that the municipality has at times declared to be unsafe, only three of the new houses have been allocated to them,” says Monyakhe.

The Herald took the concerns to the municipality on Monday, but received no response by printing time.