Western Cape Human Settlement MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela is to investigate allegations that almost half of the people living in a low-cost housing project in Eerste River are not the rightful beneficiaries.
Madikizela yesterday announced he would gather affidavits from backyarders who allege that two leaders in the Our Pride Housing Project in Elsies River have been involved in corruption related to the project.
This comes after a group calling themselves the Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders went public this week with allegations of corruption.
The Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders, now numbering 48 after four of their members died, are the remnants of a 300-strong group called the Gugulethu RDP Housing Project, which was formed in 2001.
They appointed Phumla Dlokolo as their chairperson and approached the provincial housing department with their savings in 2006.
However, the 48 remaining Gugulethu members have still not received houses and it has emerged that the housing department never required money from beneficiaries to be paid over.
Yesterday Madikizela asked the Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders to provide him with sworn affidavits to enable him to investigate the matter.
The backyarders undertook to provide their statements by Monday and Madikizela said he would accompany the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in conducting a door-to-door inspection to find out whether anyone had benefited from the project illegally.
The backyarders allege that Dlokolo placed her family members on the beneficiary list, including seven of her children, and sold houses that were assigned to beneficiaries who have since died to friends and foreign nationals.
“We really need to get to the bottom of this and if we find that there are things that went wrong, we need to deal with that.
“There is a lot of corruption happening in our housing projects,” said Madikizela.
– The New Age
Madikizela yesterday announced he would gather affidavits from backyarders who allege that two leaders in the Our Pride Housing Project in Elsies River have been involved in corruption related to the project.
This comes after a group calling themselves the Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders went public this week with allegations of corruption.
The Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders, now numbering 48 after four of their members died, are the remnants of a 300-strong group called the Gugulethu RDP Housing Project, which was formed in 2001.
They appointed Phumla Dlokolo as their chairperson and approached the provincial housing department with their savings in 2006.
However, the 48 remaining Gugulethu members have still not received houses and it has emerged that the housing department never required money from beneficiaries to be paid over.
Yesterday Madikizela asked the Gugulethu Concerned Backyarders to provide him with sworn affidavits to enable him to investigate the matter.
The backyarders undertook to provide their statements by Monday and Madikizela said he would accompany the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in conducting a door-to-door inspection to find out whether anyone had benefited from the project illegally.
The backyarders allege that Dlokolo placed her family members on the beneficiary list, including seven of her children, and sold houses that were assigned to beneficiaries who have since died to friends and foreign nationals.
“We really need to get to the bottom of this and if we find that there are things that went wrong, we need to deal with that.
“There is a lot of corruption happening in our housing projects,” said Madikizela.
– The New Age
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