Three more residents receive houses

Minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe Sisulu, Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) for Housing Dan Bovu and Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau were all in attendance last Wednesday when Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) handed over three more houses to residents in Fleurhof.

Two of the houses were handed over to physically disabled residents.
In his speech during the handover Bovu said this was a clear indication of not just the city but the government’s imperative to provide housing for all.
Joshco offers affordable and secure rentals for citizens who earn between R3 500 and R7 500 per month. Those in this income bracket do not qualify for RDP homes nor do they qualify for bonds.

Rory Gallocher CEO of Joshco said “One of the factors that threatened social housing was non-payment of rentals from tenants. Our tenants can expect delivery of service, while we expect tenants to pay rent on time every month and to respect the buildings and the rights of other tenants. The collection rate up to the end of the last audited financial year was 88 per cent, up from 46 per cent in 2006. Joshco is progressively improving this in order to achieve an average of 97%.

“Education is a large part of what we do,” Gallocher continues, “Often our tenants are first-time renters so the rights and obligations of a responsible tenant need to be communicated. This is done through workshops that Joshco’s tenants are obliged to attend before signing a lease agreement.”