After waiting nearly three decades for a government-subsidised house, 61-year-old Rosinah Nketu says she has lost hope of ever receiving the keys. Her case highlights the frustration of long-standing applicants in Gauteng, where more than 1.1 million people have registered for government housing and a civic organisation alleges that more than 800 applicants have died while waiting.
Nketu, who registered for a house in 1997, lives in a backyard shack with her eldest child and grandchildren. The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has confirmed that she has never benefited from a government housing subsidy, but says it cannot provide a timeframe for when she will receive a home.
Umphakathi Warona Wethu, a civic organisation representing long-standing applicants, has been protesting at housing offices to demand answers. Its leaders allege they have been barred from entering departmental offices.
“I suffered for 30 years waiting for a house. I’ve lost hope as I don’t have hope that I’ll receive a house while I’m still alive,” Nketu said.
‘I don’t get any assistance’
Nketu, who worked as a cleaner for many years, said she shares the backyard shack with her family and has no privacy.
She said she had spent years travelling to housing offices in Diepkloof, Sauer Street and Fox Street, paying transport costs but returning without answers.
During her latest visit on Monday, she alleged that a consultant told her to wait for a telephone call. When she asked how much longer she would have to wait, the official allegedly told her she might die before receiving a house.
“I’ve been going to offices to enquire for years, and I don’t get any assistance. The staff there is very rude,” she said.
Civic organisation alleges more than 800 applicants have died
Umphakathi Warona Wethu leader Thabang Moloi said the organisation had gathered evidence of elderly people who applied for RDP houses as far back as 1996 but were still waiting.
“I have evidence of elderly people who have applied for RDP houses since 1996,” Moloi said.
He identified one of the oldest applicants known to the organisation as Mr Makwakwa, who is now 96 and has not received a government house.
Moloi questioned why people who had waited nearly three decades remained without homes while younger applicants and people who applied more recently had reportedly received houses in Fleurhof, Lufhereng, Jabulani and Goudrand.
“Over 800 people have died while waiting for houses. Their children are on the streets,” he said.
Moloi said members had marched to housing offices and spent nights there seeking assistance. He alleged that officials had since put up photographs of the organisation’s leaders and instructed security guards not to let them inside.
In April, more than 300 people, including elderly applicants and relatives of deceased residents, camped outside Johannesburg housing offices to demand homes they said they had applied for in 1996.
Residents from Soweto, Alexandra, Thembisa and Orange Farm said repeated visits to housing offices had failed to secure allocations or clear answers.
Gauteng housing register has more than 1.1 million applicants
The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements confirmed that Nketu registered her housing need on July 29, 1997, while living in Soweto.
“The said applicant has never benefited from the government housing subsidy,” the department said.
The department explained that housing needs are recorded on the National Housing Needs Register, a digital system used at departmental offices across Gauteng’s five regions and municipal housing offices.
It said 1,135,790 people had registered for government-subsidised housing in Gauteng. This included 446,103 applicants in Johannesburg and 183,047 in Soweto.
The Housing Subsidy System, which checks whether applicants meet income and affordability requirements, recorded 299,909 approved applicants across Gauteng, including 95,676 in Johannesburg and 38,734 in Soweto.
The department said it was working with the City of Johannesburg to prioritise elderly applicants and people with disabilities who registered between 1996 and 2000.
However, it could not say when Nketu would receive a house.
“GDHS is not in a position to set a timeframe for allocations,” it said.
The department cited limited resources, policy requirements, land availability and the availability of water and electricity connections as factors affecting housing delivery. It said Nketu would be contacted when a housing project became available closer to her area.
Parliament raises concerns about housing allocation records
Parliament has also raised concerns about the housing backlog and problems with the systems used to allocate homes.
On June 10, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements raised concerns about unreliable beneficiary records and discrepancies between housing databases, warning that these problems were affecting planning and delivery.
The committee reported approximately four million registered applicants nationally, compared with 523,483 approved applications.
Committee chairperson Nocks Seabi called for stronger verification of applicants and better coordination between housing systems to help ensure fair allocations.
Masabata Mkwananzi
iol.co.za
