Soweto house row ‘a political ploy to get back at me’

A member of parliament caught up in a house ownership dispute in Soweto has dismissed the uproar as a political ploy to get back at him after exposing corruption.

Yesterday The Citizen reported how Democratic Alliance MP, Tsepo Mhlongo, was apparently arrested for malicious damage to property after he allegedly ordered that the house he claims ownership of be demolished while occupants and their belongings were still inside.

Sphesihle Duma, one of the occupants, said the property in Orlando East, belonged to his late great-grandmother and had been transferred to his grandmother Elizabeth Duma, who died in February.

He claimed Mhlongo started hounding them out of the house after his grandmother died, alleging he had forged a title deed and claimed he bought the house.

Mhlongo said he was arrested on Tuesday but that he was never in a police cell and that he had his cellphone “until my lawyer came and the case has been dismissed”.

He explained that the house never belonged to Elizabeth Duma, but to Mienies Anna Sofia, from whom he bought the property in September last year.

He said Elizabeth and the current occupants of the house were extended family members of the original owner, who had been evicted from the house before but re-occupied it six months ago.

He said the problem started when he produced the title deed for the house after Elizabeth’s death and that he decided to evict the occupants.

Mhlongo provided The Citizen with a Deed of Transfer showing that he purchased the house for R32,000.

He charged that the dispute for the ownership of the house was now being used by local ANC ward councillor Sechaba Khumalo for ulterior motives.

“I have exposed corruption that led to the fall of two ANC councillors and now Khumalo and some police officials are using this matter to get back at me,” Mhlongo said.

Khumalo denied the allegations, saying Mhlongo’s title deed was in question because the occupants of the house also have their own papers for the house.

He said they were in the process of authenticating the title deed and that the rightful owner of the house will be determined once this process, which he said was before court, was completed.

– siphom@citizen.co.za

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