Daily Sun (October 3 2013) - A DAY before Tlokwe's by-elections last month, Flora Dingaan was handed the title deeds to her RDP house. She is now the proud official owner of a pile of bricks and a concrete slab! HER HOUSE ACTUALLY FELL DOWN THREE YEARS AGO.
Flora (33), who lives in a tin shack, was one of 1 500 people suddenly given RDP title deeds in extension 11 of Ikageng, Potchefstroom, North West. The move came in the run-up to the by-elections on 18 September amid accusations that the ANC was engaged in a blitz of vote-buying in Tlokwe. This is the place where the ANC mayor was unseated by the DA.
The other people who received their RDP title deeds were just as unimpressed as Flora. Their "houses" also only consist of concrete slabs, or hanging walls, or dangerous rooms with missing bricks. Flora and her boyfriend, Johannes Phashe (36) told Daily Sun contractors laid down concrete slabs for their house in 2008, and came back to complete the RDP in 2010. But the building was found to have lots of flaws and it collapsed. No contractor or municipal official has been seen since - until now.
Flora and Johannes share a one-roomed shack with their four children. Said Flora: "We can't sleep properly here and my daughter has no privacy to study." Flora said she wouldn't waste her time voting as long as she has no house. Flora's neighbour, Tanana Mokeki (43) has an RDP house that looks like it's hanging in the air.
The bottom bricks are missing and it has no roof or windows since construction stopped. Tanana said: "It has been a long time now since they left this house unfinished. We are appealing to our government to build our RDP houses or else just come and take their material back."
In the same area there are residents with very new RDPs that already have cracks. Some are waiting to sign letters confirming that they are satisfied and others have not yet got their title deeds - even though they were present when North West MEC for housing, Nono Maloyi, handed them out. Another resident, Bessy Mosia (56), said: "I always pray to God that this cracked RDP house will fall during the day, because I will be sitting outside with my children. "But if it falls during the night, we will die stupidly inside."
Bessy, a street vendor, lives with her two daughters, Disebo (35) and Katlego (16). She said: "I appreciate that the government met me halfway by building this RDP, but now it has cracks. "Those in charge should come and fix our problems, so that we can sign our happy letters."
Ben Bole, the North West housing department's acting spokesman, said he is aware of the houses. "The department has appointed officials to investigate the matter. There was shoddy workmanship on the part of the contractor. The original contractor's services were terminated and new contractors were appointed to complete the remaining 200 houses."
He said the department would appoint another contractor either to rebuild or repair damage to a number of houses.
Tlokwe's by-elections will only be completed in November.
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
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