Dannhauser housing applicants cry foul over selection process
Phase one has seen the start of the construction of 500 homes at a cost of R80-million after which phase two will start.
A housing allocation scheme in Dannhauser has turned into what many disgruntled residents say is ‘an exercise in injustice’.
The first phase of the 1000 low cost housing project was launched recently by KZN Human Settlements MEC, Sipho Nkosi, who described it as the ‘largest urban housing scheme in the history of this coal mining town’.
The housing are been built adjacent to the Dannhauser community health care centre at the N11 entrance to the town.
Phase one has seen the start of the construction of 500 homes at a cost of R80-million after which phase two will start.
Allocation of the first 500 houses has been overseen by a steering committee but a group of residents have told the Courier that the new homes have been reserved for the ‘poorest of the poor’ but rather to the politically connected and even to those who already have homes.
Farzanah Dookie of the Dannhauser Women’s Group said a petition had been drawn up objecting to the allocation process and presented to recently appointed Mayor Hadebe.
She and a large group of residents recently met to express their outrage over the allocation process which they claim ‘was done by people who were elected but do not even know how these people were chosen’.
“Human Settlements own policy on who qualifies for a government house lay down the criteria which includes that the person be married or cohabit with a partner, or be single with financial dependents, earn less than R3500 per month per household, be a first-time government subsidy recipient, be a first time home owner or a single military veteran without financial dependants,” she said.
Attempts were made to get comment from the Dannhauser municipality and this will be published as soon as it is received.
