Earlier this year, residents of Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg protested against the slow pace of housing developments in the area – demanding that the provincial government speed up service delivery and address residents’ needs.
It has now emerged that provincial housing officials are involved in the illegal sale of land to unsuspecting community members – who after paying thousands of rands, find themselves out of pocket and homeless.
The continued exploitation of vulnerable residents who are desperate for a place to call home speaks volumes to the depth of corruption in the Department of Human Settlements, as well as the lack of political will to tackle this issue head on.
Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Paul Mashatile promised residents of Ennerdale that by the end of July 2017, plans would be underway to fast-track the delivery of infrastructure in this community, however – given the scale of corruption within the department, it is unlikely that these promises will become a reality.
MEC Mashatile must institute an inquiry into the allegations made by Ennerdale residents who have been defrauded of what little funds they have, for homes they will never own.
Failure to do so will deny the resident of Ennerdale the opportunity to dignified housing and security of tenure.