COGTA & Human Settlements Portfolio Committee Forms Task Team to deal with evictions
On Friday, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on CoGTA & Human Settlements will convene a task team with the Human Settlements Department, government entities and all major stakeholders to address the issues of eviction and assess as well as reconsider the impact of the current legislation on eviction. Led by Honourable Chairperson, Mohatla Phutas Tseki, the Portfolio Committee committed to forming this task team during a stakeholder engagement it held in late March 2017 where eviction challenges were raised by community leaders.
The Committee has been receiving concerns of dissatisfaction from stakeholders in relation to alleged illegal evictions that are conducted by estate agencies in collusion with the Banks and South African Police Services. It is alleged that some properties are sold for amounts as little as R100; as well as agencies that sell elderly people’s houses. In some instances, it is reported that houses are sold while there are still people occupying them. People are evicted from a house that has been sold to approximately 10 people, and the banks give loans to all of them. It is reported that on an annual basis, there is about 1000 eviction taking place. The Committee wants to strengthen relations with stakeholders such as Legal Aid Board to represent the poor as they are expected to in terms of eviction.
Challenges highlighted by the community that the task team will focus on resolving include:
- Evictions and PIE Act in the process of these evictions;
- Family houses in terms of ownership from one generation to the other as it is currently creating challenges, where families are fighting;
- The process of attaining a title deed, verifications of the rightful person who should have a title deed; and
- Means test of the Legal Aid Board to assist the Community.
The task team formation meeting will be held as follows:
Date: Friday, 21st July 2017
Starting Time: 10h00
Venue: GPL, Auditorium
Members of the media are invited to attend.
For more information or interview queries, contact:
Pfano Bulasigobo
Tel: 011 498 6381
Cell: 060 533 1982
E-mail: PBulasigobo@gpl.gov.za
