Hundreds of Eastern Cape people residing in rural parts of the province have been helped to apply for housing subsidies, and check the status on their applications on the housing on wheels truck which is on a roadshow throughout the province as part of intervention efforts to assist people get housing subsidies.
The Housing on Wheels project was introduced last week by MEC for Housing Nombulelo Mabandla and is geared towards taking housing services to the people through the mobile vehicle. The roadshow is part of the provincial EXCO outreach which is visiting all districts in the province to improve service delivery.
A housing education drama has also been introduced to educate people about the role of municipalities and the department in the housing delivery process. Other information disseminated through the play include available housing services, criteria to qualify for housing subsidy and reporting of defective houses on time.
Beneficiaries have been educated about the rights and responsibilities of homeowners including maintenance and payments of rates, reporting of defectives houses including cracks and period for reporting defects on the houses.
Roof leaks must be reported within three months to the municipality and cracks within a year after the completion and handover of houses. People must also sign a happy letter if they are satisfied with the house during handovers. The truck will be in Matatiele, Bizana, Tsolo and Qumbu this week. Close to five hundred people have helped so far on the housing consumer education project during the roadshow which started last Friday.
Enquiries:
Lwandile Sicwetsha
Cell: 071 6711770
E-Mail: lwandileS@echousing.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Housing, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
7 July 2009