Residents of Stillwater in the Northern Cape have accused the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements of failing to prioritise their housing needs.
They say they have been raising concerns about cracking walls in their government-subsidised houses for years and they fear that the houses could collapse at any time.
Last year, the department had promised to look into the matter.
However, residents maintain the process is taking too long as the houses started cracking as far back as 2014, immediately after the contractor left.
“We live in fear because we don’t know what else to do. This house can fall on us at any time.”
“If they cannot build us new houses, then they must come with a plan to move us to another location. We would be happy if they moved us because we don’t know what to do.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements insists that the process to remedy the situation and fix or demolish the houses is on track.
The department’s spokesperson Tshenolo Meruti says, “A forensic audit report commissioned by the department has now been completed by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). The next step is to seek ministerial approval to rectify or demolish the houses. As indicated above, a forensic audit report had to be commissioned to determine the extent of the problem and it is only from there that funding can be allocated.”
