City nabs development fraudsters

Two suspects have been arrested in connection to a housing scam at the Cornubia development site in Durban, Northglen News reports.

An eThekwini Municipality investigative unit caught the suspects during two separate sting operations in which the fraudsters falsely used the names of two officials from the municipality’s human settlement unit.

Mayor Zandile Gumede responded to news of the incident, saying the municipality would not tolerate fraud or corruption.

She said: “The human settlements department follows a strict Cornubia Allocation Policy which was approved by Council on 31 March 2015. Houses in Cornubia, or at any City development are also not for sale.”

Victims of the suspected fraudsters had reported the matter to City officials, telling them they had been promised houses in the Cornubia Housing Development in exchange for money.

READ MORE: WATCH: Mob overturns alleged fraudster’s car in Soweto

One of the City officials whose name had been falsely used said he found out about the illegal sales when people approached him about buying homes in the Cornubia development.

He then reported it to the City Integrity and Investigations Unit. The unit worked with Metro police and human settlements to catch the perpetrators. The properties were allegedly sold for R45 000 and more, with victims then receiving a letter bearing the logo of the municipality and the provincial department of human settlements.

The suspects then told the victims to go to the City’s offices to collect their new house’s keys.

The R25-billion mixed-use development of housing, commercial and industrial sites that have changed the skyline between Durban and King Shaka International Airport will eventually be home to 24 000 new houses.

– Caxton News Service

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