Two beneficiary lists for new RDP houses
An undertaking from the municipality is that an internal audit will be conducted to concretise on the authenticity of legal beneficiaries.
More than six months after more than 100 RDP houses were completed, some beneficiaries are still out in the cold without a proper shelter.
It is alleged that the delay was a result of corruption and the emergence of two beneficiary lists. A reliable source who cannot be named revealed that the beneficiary list from the provincial Department of Human Settlements did not correspond with the initial beneficiary list from the City of Mbombela Local Municipality (CMLM).
“There were instances where one house belonged to two or more names. It is alleged that some people who don’t even qualify to have the government-subsidised houses might have paid some officials to be included on the list of beneficiaries,” said the source.
READ : Beneficiaries to wait longer for RDP houses
Some of the rightful beneficiaries said they had also heard these rumours surrounding the list. “We hope the department and municipality will be able to handle and sort out the matter, so that deserving beneficiaries will be allocated their houses,” said Prince Nkosi, a beneficiary.
Lungile Nxumalo, one of the beneficiaries, said they were looking forward to receive their houses, as they had heard they would be officially handed to them this month. “We hope our dreams of owning our own houses will soon be realised,” she said. Freddy Ngobe, spokesperson for the Department of Human Settlements, confirmed there were issues surrounding the beneficiary list.
READ: RDP beneficiaries still waiting to be housed in Tekwane South
“Indeed, the issue of beneficiaries needs to be attended to. An undertaking from the municipality is that an internal audit will be conducted to concretise on the authenticity of legal beneficiaries. Once done, the municipality will revert to the MEC with a tangible position on the matter,” he said.
Ngobe added that this 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.
“The project has thus far completed 128 of the 200 government-subsidised houses while the others are at various stages of completion. The plan is to hand over the houses to rightful beneficiaries later this month after all outstanding infrastructure logistics have been finalised,” he said. Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for CMLM, said, “Our expectations are that the houses will be handed over to beneficiaries this month as indicated to us by the provincial department. We are aware there were so many challenges which had been finally ironed out.”
