MMC for Human Settlements Mlungisi Mabaso. Photo: IFP/Facebook
The MMC of Housing in the City of Johannesburg, Mlungisi Mabaso, has denied claims by Fleurhof residents that foreign nationals are being favoured over them.
The city this month moved people from the hijacked Moth building in the CBD to rental units in Fleurhof, west of Johannesburg.
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Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, Mabaso denied that illegal foreigners were allocated housing in Fleurhof.
He said there is a perception that many of those who live in unsafe buildings in the inner city are illegal foreigners. But he said it is a mixture of people looking for better opportunities in Gauteng.
“People must understand that it is not only [foreigners] that stay in town. Many of our people are staying there,” he said.
Mabaso said the municipality has already allocated rental units in Fleurhof to some of the people evacuated from the Moth building in the CBD. This after the Johannesburg High Court instructed the city to find alternative shelter for them.
He said there are around 300 units that have been identified for this in Fleurhof. He, however, denied that illegal foreign nationals were moved into Fleurhof.
“We have not allocated any houses to foreign nationals who were part of the group. Home Affairs handled the process, and because they had no papers, they were deported back to their countries,” Mabaso said.
Currently, some Soweto residents are camping outside the rental units in Fleurhof.
They have told the municipality that they will not allow people from town and foreign nationals to be given the rental units before members of their own community.
A Fleurhof community leader, Selby Leshaba, told The Citizen on Friday that the community was not consulted when the municipality started moving people from the CBD into the rental units.
He said the community is worried about crime. They are also concerned that Soweto residents did not get preference when the rental units were allocated.
“People are still camping there, and our worry is who these people are that are being brought into the community. Can they even afford to pay the rent here?”
However, Mabaso said those preventing people from moving into the rental units are “disgruntled”. He even accused them of wanting to occupy the units illegally.
“They have been doing this since 2020, and now they are lobbying the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mabaso said there are plans to increase the number of RDP houses in Fleurhof.
He said the municipality is aware of the city’s housing backlog.
“The city is also considering turning some of the buildings in the inner city into affordable accommodation for our people because they want to be close to economic opportunities.”
Mabaso added that a team from the City of Johannesburg will continue to engage with the residents of Fleurhof.
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