Provincial MEC for human settlement dismissed fake video on social media

The Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements has denounced a fake video circulating on social media (TikTok) purporting that MEC Speedy Mashilo was selling RDP houses for R25 000 each.
Mashilo said the video is fake, misleading and damaging.
He said he was not part of any scheme of selling RDP houses, but remains vested in the mandate to deliver sustainable integrated human settlements to citizens of the province.

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The department is resolute that the video is nothing but a sinister attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public using Mashilo’s name.
Mashilo has called on the public not to fall prey to criminals with ulterior motives using his name.

“We have been educating communities against the illegal selling of houses and we will not stop. It is shameful and disdainful that culprits seem to be relentless in their acts of defrauding our people,” said Mashilo.
He said the department will intensify its consumer education drive and campaigns to discourage the buying and selling of RDP houses through illegal means.

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Mashilo called on the people to verify with their municipalities and the department any information related to subsidised government houses.
He also reiterated that RDP houses are not for sale, a call that has been made for some time.
“The government-subsidised RDP houses are free and no one must ask you to pay in any form. Low-cost houses are, therefore, not meant for profit by beneficiaries,” he said.

Mashilo said the Housing Amendment Act prohibits the sale of an RDP house outside a period of eight years. According to the act, if a beneficiary intends to sell the house within the eight-year period, it should be offered back to the department and no purchase price will be payable.