Department of Human Settlements warns of online house scams

With house scams becoming more prevalent, the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) warns the public to be vigilant of the continual housing scams on social media.

According to the department, the scammers pose as department officials and offer help with applications for government-subsidised homes.

The scammers prey on gullible citizens and offer them Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) also known as Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses around the country at a staggering cost of R100 000.

RDP houses can be only processed by DHS

“To qualify for a fully subsidized government house, applicants must meet specific criteria, including being a South African citizen, a first-time homeowner, and having a combined household income of less than R3500 per month,” said DHS.

Furthermore, the department emphasised that applications for RDP/BNG houses can only be processed through the Provincial DHS and municipalities, and no organisation is mandated to facilitate this on behalf of the government.

DHS urges citizens to exercise caution and report suspicious social media accounts to the department or municipalities immediately.

According to the department, it remains committed to providing safe and affordable housing opportunities to qualifying South Africans and urges citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities.

“To verify authenticity and avoid potential scams, citizens can contact the National Department of Human Settlements directly at 0800 146 873 or via email, or visit their local municipal offices.”

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Service providers unpaid for RDP housing construction

Meanwhile, in August subcontractors on the RDP housing project in Middleburg claimed they were not paid for work done from 2019 to 2023.

The Rondebosch housing project was won a tender by the primary contractor, Tiger Business Enterprise and it is alleged that between 2019 and 2023, the nine subcontractors from Mpumalanga working under it did not receive their payments.

According to one of the subcontractors, the department and the primary contractor owed her company more than R30 000.

No straight answers

“In October last year, the department and the service provider failed to settle my invoice, investigated the matter and found that all the subcontractors did not receive payments.

“Tiger Business Enterprise which was the main contractor said the Department of housing did not pay them as well. We then approached MEC Speedy Mashilo who promised us that the payment would be made around December.

“After that meeting, the service providers were paid while nine including me were not being paid and we confronted the department and the main contractor but we did not get straight answers,” she added.

She concluded by saying that the government continued with the project, employing other service providers while ignoring their concerns.

Additional reporting by Masoke Dube

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