Extension 7 residents are fearful of their RDP houses falling in on them, despite the provincial housing department’s promise that it would fix all faulty RDP houses by 2007. Residents claim when they hear a noise coming from the cracking walls in their houses they exit quickly to avoid being buried under a pile of rubble.
Extension 7 residents are fearful of their RDP houses falling in on them, despite the provincial housing department’s promise that it would fix all faulty RDP houses by 2007. Residents claim when they hear a noise coming from the cracking walls in their houses they exit quickly to avoid being buried under a pile of rubble.
They are begging Makana Municipality to do something about their living conditions.
Resident Vuyiseka Nojoko said her problems started in 2005 when a strong wind blew the roof off her RDP house and the municipality gave them only heavy duty plastic sheets to cover the house.
“Then the bricks in the walls started to come loose and cracks formed and became bigger and bigger,” explained Nojoko.
Another resident, Ntombomzi Feni said that she first reported the cracks forming in the walls of her RDP house to the municipality in 2006.
“I’m still waiting for them to come and fix my house as they promised,” said Feni.
Muni’s responsibility
However, Makana spokesperson Thandy Matebese said the rectification programme, which is meant to fix faulty RDP houses, is run by the provincial housing department and not by the local municipality.
He added that all the municipality knows is that the housing department had sent people to conduct a survey of the faulty houses. According to Matebese, the survey indicated that cracks form in the walls when RDP house owners do not use the required amount of building materials.
Matebese gave an example of a home owner who was given five bags of cement but only used three, allegedly causing the cracks to form.
Attempts to contact the provincial housing department drew a blank.
Pumelelo Frans is an independent citizen journalist for Grocott’s Mail.
