JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Ward 55 DA Councillor Rashieda Landis and Debbie Hoffman, Ward 55 Housing Committee member, are taking a stand against Bellavista invasions, which prevent applicants on the waiting lists to get allocated to flat units.
According to Landis and Debbie, there have been people occupying flats illegally in the Bellavista Estate, while some of the residents rented their units out to other people, which is wrong considering the flats belong to the council and there are people on the waiting list, who should be allocated such flats instead of people renting them out to make money through council property.
“These people who rent the units which have been allocated by the council are wrong, because there are people who have been on the waiting list for many years, but they cannot be allocated because of such behaviour,” said Cllr Landis.
She also said that people are not supposed to rent or sell these units as the properties belong to the council, but that it happens anyway. Cllr Landis and the community have tried involving the relevant authorities, but could not obtain the sufficient assistance.
According to the councillor, some people continue to sell the units while others move into the units illegally. The councillor said she reported a person who moved into a unit illegally; inspectors arrived but nothing was done. She knows of someone who owns some of these units and rent it out for at least R3 000, whereas residents are supposed to just pay about R800 to the council for a unit.
According to the Cllr Landis, people who move out of the units are supposed to automatically forfeit the units, so it can be allocated to people on the waiting list. But people are renting these units out instead.
The Councillor suggests that the MMC of Housing Dan Bovu call for a meeting to address this issue before it gets out of hand, since people are frustrated at the local office and each other, considering they are watching council units meant to help the poor being used to benefit the pockets of a few.
