Joburg launches housing verification 96/97 campaign

JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – The Subsidy Housing Verification Campaign in Region F was launched at the Klipriviersberg Recreation Centre, Kibler Park on Tuesday January 27. It will start on February 3.

The Executive Mayor for the City of Johannesburg Cllr Parks Tau was supposed to deliver the keynote address, in his absence MMC for Planning and Development Cllr Roslynn Greef took over the honour.

The aim of the 96/97 campaign is to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in the allocation of state housing. It will not be exclusive to applicants previously registered on the database; all data of previously registered applicants will also be considered.

For the next four months, hundreds of field workers will be visiting households in region A, E and F to verify the status of the applicants on the housing waiting list.

This exercise will enable the City of Johannesburg to allocate beneficiaries with housing typologies and future projects that are situated in areas closer to amenities and also to further create a project-linked database to address housing service delivery in the city.

MMC for Housing Cllr Bonakele Dan Bovu explained to the people that the City of Johannesburg has more people visiting than they can build houses.

“If people see us as the ‘truck’ that delivers houses, we cannot do it alone; we need to have a ‘driver’ and ‘workers’ to off-load and that is why we need you people to work with us. We are today fulfilling the promise made by Cllr Tau in the successful pilot phase, which started in Soweto, Region D. I also urge people not to assume that houses are attained through corruption, also people must not sell these houses.

“Residents must know that we are embarking on a door-to-door campaign for the rightful owners of the houses. The South Hills project is one of the projects that will address the waiting list of 96/97, also elders who found themselves nowhere in the inner city. If you build a house for old people, you build a house for the society. Priority will be given to child-headed homes, families with disabled people and the elderly. Interested people must apply to be field workers,” explained Cllr Bovu.

Cllr Greef said they will be using the 96/97 data base to allocate houses. “These people must be traced. We’ve been successful in training field workers. We also know that not all people on the waiting list will still need these houses as some of them have moved on. This will form part of the Mayor’s project Jozi@work,” she said.

Thulani Nkosi, who is responsible for the project, said eligible people must have the C-form. “If you are not at home when the field workers arrive, you need to make arrangements so that they can come back when you are at home. They will be identifiable with identity cards, caps, T-shirts and bibs for safety purposes. Ward councillors will have the names of all field workers in their wards. Those with disabled people must come to our offices and remember the last day for this campaign is Friday May 29,” he noted.

Some of the Region F councillors present were Ward 55 Cllr Rashieda Landis, Ward 57 Faaeza Chame and Ward 58 Cllr Sergio dos Santos. Cllr Chame said she accepted what the city is trying to do and she commended them.

“This is good for people of Johannesburg especially for those who do not have shelter. As long as the process is fair I will support it. Everybody must be treated equally,” she said.

The launch was cut short as buses had to leave. However, the Regional Whip, Cllr Phineas Madisha, who was the programme director, promised another gathering soon in Region F.

These are some of the questions the public asked and MMC for Housing Cllr Bonakele Dan Bovu answers:

• Vuyolwethu Phakathi: How will the city reach domestic workers in the suburbs, because mostly there is no access as they live in backrooms? Also the Jozi@work wastes lots of money opening cooperatives for the people.

MMC Bovu: We have trained people and they will be able to address that issue of domestic workers. Jozi@work is a new project, we will continue to change and patch it, and in future there will be no middleman.

• Nonhlanhla Mankomo: The majority of people are not represented here. I believe there was not enough communication to the masses.

MMC Bovu: We will come back to deliver the message, however we urge each and every one present here to tell the community about this.

• David Modupi: You said councillors must have all the names of field workers. Have the councillors been told about this? I know many people have been turned back from the MMC’s office.

MMC Bovu: Councillors will be notified, but they are not employers, we have officials who are responsible for that department.

• Ian Kanokumbi: I acknowledge the effort of the city. What does the city do in terms of corrupt officials? Joshco has been implicated in this corruption, we have to pay bribes.

MMC Bovu: We have avenues to report corruption.

• Priscilla Raphela: I’ve lost my documents. How are you going to deal with cases like mine?

MMC Bovu: We have the data base and we will be able to trace people who registered in 1996.