More than 100 families have “illegally” occupied a number of Buffalo City Metro’s low income rental units, pretending to be living on less than R3500 a month while some of them earn close to R20000 monthly.
For years professionals, including those who work at higher education institutions, government departments and BCM, have enjoyed the benefits established to assist disadvantaged families with low incomes.
This was revealed in a council report recently tabled by acting city manager Nceba Ncunyana highlighting the challenges faced in some of the rental units around BCM.
They include Garcia flats in Cambridge and Duncan Village’s B hostel and D section where about 180 families were found as not qualifying to reside by inspectors last year.
The flats and hostels were established to accommodate people with a low income and those who were disadvantaged.
According to the metro’s rental housing policy, beneficiaries are supposed to earn R3500 and less to qualify for the units.
The report showed that occupants who did not qualify included:
lA Buffalo City FET College employee who earned R21000;
lA BCM employee who earns R17783;
lA department of health admin clerk who earned R16356;
lA spray painter earning R10775; and
lA BCM caretaker who took home R9600, among others.
Despite knowing these occupants do not qualify, BCM cannot evict them because the metro does not have an eviction policy in place.
A reply to questions sent to BCM on the matter had not been received at the time of writing.
It was suggested that urgent remedial action needed to be taken to respond to the challenges.
“An analysis of all the tenants to be done by an external provider, in all the rental stock, in order to establish whether or not the municipality is running this programme at a loss or not,” the report stated.
“(The metro’s) rental stock unit had already engaged with legal services as to advise whether the existing agreement can be amended, which requires legal services intervention.
“Procedure on (the) current lease agreement needs to be amended to allow rental stock unit to evict tenants who do not qualify because of their personal economic changes.”
The rental units are also faced by issues regarding poor security as there is no proper fencing in place and some need major maintenance to the roof. Crime and drug activities were also reportedly rife in the units.
Residents occupy low income units illegally
For years professionals, including those who work at higher education institutions, government departments and BCM, have enjoyed the benefits established to assist disadvantaged families with low incomes.
This was revealed in a council report recently tabled by acting city manager Nceba Ncunyana highlighting the challenges faced in some of the rental units around BCM.
They include Garcia flats in Cambridge and Duncan Village’s B hostel and D section where about 180 families were found as not qualifying to reside by inspectors last year.
The flats and hostels were established to accommodate people with a low income and those who were disadvantaged.
According to the metro’s rental housing policy, beneficiaries are supposed to earn R3500 and less to qualify for the units.
The report showed that occupants who did not qualify included:
lA Buffalo City FET College employee who earned R21000;
lA BCM employee who earns R17783;
lA department of health admin clerk who earned R16356;
lA spray painter earning R10775; and
lA BCM caretaker who took home R9600, among others.
Despite knowing these occupants do not qualify, BCM cannot evict them because the metro does not have an eviction policy in place.
A reply to questions sent to BCM on the matter had not been received at the time of writing.
It was suggested that urgent remedial action needed to be taken to respond to the challenges.
“An analysis of all the tenants to be done by an external provider, in all the rental stock, in order to establish whether or not the municipality is running this programme at a loss or not,” the report stated.
“(The metro’s) rental stock unit had already engaged with legal services as to advise whether the existing agreement can be amended, which requires legal services intervention.
“Procedure on (the) current lease agreement needs to be amended to allow rental stock unit to evict tenants who do not qualify because of their personal economic changes.”
The rental units are also faced by issues regarding poor security as there is no proper fencing in place and some need major maintenance to the roof. Crime and drug activities were also reportedly rife in the units.
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