DA calls on MEC Maile to enforce all Tshwane housing eviction court orders as a matter of urgency

19 April 2021

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Provincial Leader, Solly Msimanga MPL, and the DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements, Mervyn Cirota MPL, along with the Tshwane DA-led administration, conducted oversight inspections at incomplete, illegally-invaded housing projects in Olievenhoutbosch Extensions 27 and 36, and the Saulsville hostel in Tshwane.

Further to these visits, we discovered that an empty space in Olievenhoutbosch Extension 27, where 2000 houses were to be built, has also been invaded few weeks ago. There is a new mushrooming informal settlement in the area in between the houses.

According to the illegal occupants, specific individuals are selling pieces of land to illegal invaders.

The 888 units of the Olievenhoutbosch Extension 27 have been illegally occupied since 2017. These houses were left incomplete without bulk infrastructure, where illegal occupants have made illegal connections.

The Olievenhoutbosch Extension 36 housing project has 919 units and were invaded early this year. The illegal occupants in the area are accusing the ANC ward councillor for allegedly selling the units.

Other illegal occupants state that their desperation to own dignified housing has led them to illegally occupy the units.

The housing project in Saulsville hostel has 172 family units and has been invaded since 2016. The City of Tshwane has appointed a legal team to undertake a litigation process to secure an eviction order.

The eviction orders for both housing projects in Olievenhoutbosch have been obtained and await implementation.

For the longest time, the DA has been warning the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements that unnecessary delays in completing housing projects and in allocating the rightful beneficiaries to their housing units once the project has been completed, has resulted in illegal occupation of the houses.

Based on previous experience, the longer the housing projects remain unoccupied, the more likely they will become targets for illegal occupants, vandalism, and corruption.

The illegal occupants are costing the department more money in terms of legal fees for eviction orders, eviction processes as well as repairs for the damages.

The DA is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Lebogang Maile to execute the implementation of the eviction orders in all Tshwane housing projects.

The DA-led Tshwane administration will write a follow-up letter to MEC Maile to ascertain the progress with regards to the implementation of the outstanding eviction court orders.

We will also be tabling questions to MEC Maile in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ascertain the reasons behind delays in executing the eviction orders, and why these housing projects have not been allocated to the rightful beneficiaries.

Issued by Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Human Settlements, 19 April 2021