Wait for Tekwane South RDP house recipients not over yet
The handing over of Tekwane South RDP houses to beneficiaries has been postponed again due to the alert level 4 lockdown regulations.
The beneficiaries continue to wait, hoping that they will finally get a decent shelter. Prince Phiri, one of the beneficiaries, said the waiting period was far too long.
“We were hoping that June was the end of our plight, but then we still have to wait even longer, not knowing when the president will end the lockdown,” he said.
“What will happen to us if the president prolongs the regulations? I suggest that the department should call beneficiaries one by one and give them their house keys and not hide behind lockdown regulations.
READ: Two beneficiary lists for new RDP houses
“Do they really want to see the beneficiaries dying of cold in the streets? The houses were completed a long time ago. We don’t need a gathering, but shelter for our families,” he added.
Rocks and debris have been laid across the road to block any entrance to the houses. On June 3, Lowvelder Express reported that the houses would be handed over before the end of June as per the statements of Freddy Ngobe, spokesperson of the Department of Human Settlements, and Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for the City of Mbombela.
Ngobe confirmed there were issues surrounding the beneficiary list.
READ: RDP beneficiaries still waiting to be housed in Tekwane South
“An undertaking from the municipality is that an internal audit will be conducted to concretise the authenticity of legal beneficiaries. Once done, the municipality will revert to the MEC with a tangible position on the matter,” he said.
On July 5 Ngobe said 200 units were ready to be occupied by the beneficiaries, but could not be handed over to them due to
the regulations of lockdown.
“The department, City of Mbombela and other stakeholders have worked around the clock to ensure that all logistical issues relating to installation of services have been finalised. The 200 government-subsidised houses are ready for handover, however, a possibility of an event has been suspended
owing to the Covid-19 pronouncements by the president to place the country under alert level 4. Any developments will be communicated,” he said.
The Tekwane South housing project is a multiyear, integrated human settlements project, planned to deliver government subsidised housing units, houses for military veterans, middle-income earners, rental stock units, open stands for sale and sites for socioeconomic facilities.
