Bekkersdal housing list to be probed before allocation

News has emerged that the housing project beneficiary list for residents of Bekkersdal will be looked into prior to the allocation of houses due to allegation that the list was tampered with.

This was announced by the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements Jacob Mamabolo who says that an independent firm will be appointed to look into the list and adds that approximately 1 000 houses will be issued to residents of the troubled township.

According to him, this is an effort to restore peace and stability in the area following a string of violent protest actions.

“We have brokered an agreement between the leadership of the Greater Westonaria Concerned Residents Association (GWCRA) and Westonaria Local Municipality over the allocation of 1 000 houses in Botlhabela Borwa.

“This will allow us to stick to our mandate of service delivery in the area among other things.

“Also, it is worth noting that this flagship housing development is one oh the high priority mixed housing projects in the area and was stalled following a planned court interdict by the association.

“At the time, leaders within the GWCRA were disputing the validity of the beneficiary list hence the decision to appoint an independent audit firm which will verify the housing list in dispute,” says Mamabolo.

He adds that the auditing firm will not deviate and will use government policies to ascertain who qualifies for the houses.

“The firm will be given a period of three months to complete and finalize the allocation list.

“We consider this time frame to be reasonable compared to a long court battle that would have negative impact to the beneficiaries,” says Mamabolo who adds that they will be able to allocate houses for the people whose names are not in dispute as well.

The Herald has since spoken to GWCRA secretary Wonder Modise who says that the resolution taken will mean a lot in addressing housing backlog in the area.

He also said that the association was not all about protest actions but also about improving service delivery.