Zamimpilo informal settlers to receive their houses
The 600 families of Zamimpilo informal settlement next to Riverlea, west of Johannesburg will be relocated to the new mixed income housing development of Fleurhof in May 2014. The 600 families were left behind when more than 1200 families were relocated to Pennyville near Soweto in 2008. They were awaiting the new development that will now see them allocated to their homes.
Gauteng Human Settlement MEC Ntombi Mekgwe told the residents over the weekend that their houses are currently under construction and they will finally have a place they can call home. “We have made a commitment that we will provide you with shelter and we are honouring our commitment to you as your houses are now being built. We have to get rid of this informal settlement and move you to proper and habitable human settlement,” said MEC Mekgwe.
Mekgwe said the regret that they have as a department is that during the 2008 relocation to Pennyville they did not take away corrugated iron from the people who were allocated houses. “We should have used the one house one shack down strategy so that we eradicate the informal settlement completely and manage the movement. Now the area has grown again since the relocation and some of the previous owners have used this as a business opportunity by renting out their shacks. We have relocated people but the informal settlement looks like we have not done a thing as a department,” said Mekgwe.
Mekgwe said they are aware that there are those who do not qualify for free RDP houses. She said that should not be an issue because the Fleurhof project caters for rental, RDP and the bonded GAP market.
With regards to concerns of corruption in the allocation of houses in Pennyville in 2008, Mekgwe committed to send team of investigators from the department to investigate these allegations. She urged the residents who raised some of the concerns during the meetings to work with the investigators from the department so that those found enriching themselves corruptly with state resources are brought to book.
“I think my department has demonstrated that we take allegations of corruption seriously. We have a number of suspects who are appearing in courts and others serving jail terms. Even officials who are alleged to have been involved in corrupt activities are not spared,”
The MEC apologised to residents for taking time to respond to some of the grievances they raised when they marched to the department.
For more information contact:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
