The DA in Limpopo calls on the MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Nkakareng Rakgoale, for urgent intervention over the illegal occupation of the department’s houses in Ephraim Mogale municipality.
A recent oversight inspection to houses that are illegally occupied and poorly maintained highlighted the need to improve the department’s management of their assets. View photos here, here and here.
The poor state of the housing units has also been raised in numerous complaints from residents who claim that some of these houses have been neglected and are now drug dens.
These illegal occupants are not paying rent and are also robbing the municipality of rates and taxes. The housing units are overcrowded while some occupants have made illegal building alterations, and some even erected Illegal structures to accommodate more people.
These houses are meant to be a source of much needed revenue for the department but are instead being left to deteriorate, be vandalised and illegally occupied.
The DA has written to Rakgoale to confirm if the department has an accurate asset register of all their properties and how it intends to mitigate vandalism and illegal occupation of the department’s buildings in the future. Furthermore, the department must explain if any rental agreements exist with the occupants and who is responsible for maintenance of the houses.
The DA is committed to ensuring that public assets are properly managed, well maintained and do not become a liability to taxpayers. We will continue to fight the poor maintenance and illegal occupation of public housing.