Disgruntled residents of Breidbach want Human Settlements MEC Helen Sauls-August to scrap the existing beneficiary list of the soon-to-be built RDP houses in the area and draw up a new one.
This after allegations surfaced that Buffalo City Metro employees’ names were appearing on the list.
In a meeting Sauls-August had with the Breidbach community on Thursday night, she suggested they identify the controversial beneficiaries which appear in the list of 2273 beneficiaries.
Sanco leader Desmond Allison said the list needed a complete overhaul, as most of the listed beneficiaries earned more than the R3500 threshold required in order to qualify for an RDP house.
Sauls-August was accompanied by portfolio committee on human settlements chairwoman Mary Ndlangisa-Makaula, Chief Whip Fundile Gade and deputy chief whip Kholiswa Fihlani.
Said Allison: “There are people who appear on that list who don’t live in Breidbach, people who work for Buffalo City Metro and people who already own houses. The process must be restarted.
“If this list is not corrected it will create anger among community members and we don’t want to go there,” he said.
The Dispatch reported last year in May how police officers and protesters were injured during a community protest for “long overdue” RDP houses in the area.
Another bone of contention had been that the department of human settlements had previously suggested a mixed housing development offering at Breidbach that would comprise RDP houses and houses for people in the gap market. The gap market refers to people who earn more than R3500 and less than R15000.
Allison said the mixed development had been rejected because people had thought they would qualify for RDP houses, and were glad to be given the opportunity again as they have realised they did not all qualify for RDP housing.
The MEC said the allegations raised by the community were not against the master list but against the priority list. She said not everyone who appeared on the master list qualified for a house.
She said the administration of beneficiary lists had been taken away from municipalities and was now being handled by her department.
In September, cars were pelted and police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters who demanded RDP houses be built for them.
Asked Sauls-August: “Can the allegations of corruption in the beneficiary list be submitted to my office in writing?
“I am encouraging you because these meetings won’t solve the problem of beneficiary lists.
“Within a week of receiving the information, we will be able to come back to you with the final list.”
She said land had been donated by BCM to her department for the development of a mixed housing development in Breidbach and as soon as her department received the title deed for the land, planning processes for gap market beneficiaries would start. — zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
Breidbach in RDP list uproar
This after allegations surfaced that Buffalo City Metro employees’ names were appearing on the list.
In a meeting Sauls-August had with the Breidbach community on Thursday night, she suggested they identify the controversial beneficiaries which appear in the list of 2273 beneficiaries.
Sanco leader Desmond Allison said the list needed a complete overhaul, as most of the listed beneficiaries earned more than the R3500 threshold required in order to qualify for an RDP house.
Sauls-August was accompanied by portfolio committee on human settlements chairwoman Mary Ndlangisa-Makaula, Chief Whip Fundile Gade and deputy chief whip Kholiswa Fihlani.
Said Allison: “There are people who appear on that list who don’t live in Breidbach, people who work for Buffalo City Metro and people who already own houses. The process must be restarted.
“If this list is not corrected it will create anger among community members and we don’t want to go there,” he said.
The Dispatch reported last year in May how police officers and protesters were injured during a community protest for “long overdue” RDP houses in the area.
Another bone of contention had been that the department of human settlements had previously suggested a mixed housing development offering at Breidbach that would comprise RDP houses and houses for people in the gap market. The gap market refers to people who earn more than R3500 and less than R15000.
Allison said the mixed development had been rejected because people had thought they would qualify for RDP houses, and were glad to be given the opportunity again as they have realised they did not all qualify for RDP housing.
The MEC said the allegations raised by the community were not against the master list but against the priority list. She said not everyone who appeared on the master list qualified for a house.
She said the administration of beneficiary lists had been taken away from municipalities and was now being handled by her department.
In September, cars were pelted and police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters who demanded RDP houses be built for them.
Asked Sauls-August: “Can the allegations of corruption in the beneficiary list be submitted to my office in writing?
“I am encouraging you because these meetings won’t solve the problem of beneficiary lists.
“Within a week of receiving the information, we will be able to come back to you with the final list.”
She said land had been donated by BCM to her department for the development of a mixed housing development in Breidbach and as soon as her department received the title deed for the land, planning processes for gap market beneficiaries would start. — zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
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