17/03/2007 20:49 - (SA)
Shack dwellers rue defective homes
Mariechen Waldner
HUNDREDS of shack dwellers in Mamelodi have been waiting anxiously to move into their low-cost, but quality, houses courtesy of the Gauteng housing department.
But their dream of a decent roof over their head has turned into a nightmare.
The more than 600 houses constructed to date are so defective that the Tshwane metro council refuses to issue occupation certificates and allow them to move in.
Tshwane metro has not approved any of the houses in Mamelodi Extension 22 because the poor workmanship and materials used do not meet the minimum standards set by national building regulations, says council spokesperson Antoinette Mostert.
Extension 22 is a scenic, peaceful spot at the foot of the Magalies Mountain, potentially a beautiful suburb. But its residents sit in their shacks gazing sadly at the building horrors they are not allowed to occupy.
“How can they expect us to live in this?” asks Monika Boshielo, a 41-year-old mother of two.
Her new house, erected next to her shack, is an example of the shoddy Gauteng housing department workmanship. The interior walls are measled with red mud patties instead of the elegant yet inexpensive plaster glazing the housing plans call for.
Her house was built on a crooked foundation. Her windows have no glass. She fears rain because no provision has been made for storm-water pipes. They were promised houses last year, she says. But all work has come to a standstill.
Neighbours complain that the builders of their houses attempted to sell building materials to them.
They also complain that some houses were still defective despite being demolished and built again after defects were pointed out to the builders. People who bought their own building materials to complete their houses say they have been warned by council officials not to go ahead, because their houses might have to be demolished.
“We bought cement a year ago, now it is vrot (bad). We wasted the money,” complains a neighbour.
Mamelodi Extension 22 is the handiwork of Xhasa Accounting and Technical Centre, a non-profit company appointed by the Gauteng housing department as an “implementing agent for the construction of houses”.
Gauteng housing department spokesperson Mandla Sidu says the department, Tshwane municipality and Xhasa appointed a task team in July last year “to look at all the issues and concerns raised about the houses built by Xhasa within the region”.
The objective is to “resolve the problems and fast-track the completion and occupation of the houses”.
“We have drafted a plan for the project and according to suggested time frames we will finish all the 645 affected houses by July 2007,” says Sidu.
Corrective action, he says, has been taken with all cases of corruption brought to Xhasa’s attention.
This includes reporting cases to the police, getting monetary compensation for stolen building materials and removing offenders from the project.
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