Construction of RDP houses in Tshikota approved

It is official: the Provincial Department of Local Government and Housing recently approved the long-delayed 170 RDP houses for Tshikota residents.

This was announced during the mass meeting held at Tshikota Community hall last Wednesday by members of the South African Civic Organization (Sanco).

According to the secretary of Sanco in the township, Pastor T Mashau, the approved 170 houses will be constructed by Areageng Developers on a piece of land which is adjacent to the town of Louis Trichardt.

He said that in the financial year 2005/6, the Department of Local Government and Housing allocated 200 RDP houses, but 30 units were allocated to other beneficiaries at Buysdorp.

At that stage, Mashau alleged the Makhado Municipality had given them the very same site next to town, but before the construction began, the council stopped the project after certain residents were totally against the building of RDP houses next to them, as that would reduce the value of their houses.

Several fruitless meetings between the Makhado Municipality and the Sanco branch were held. In one of the meetings, the project was scheduled to start in April this year, but that did not happen.

In July this year, residents of Tshikota, through their Sanco leadership, requested the Office of the Public Protector to investigate undue delay in the construction of their 170 units, abuse of power and all forms of corruption.

The approved 170 units, according to Mashau will be 50 m², with two divided bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, a bathroom, a toilet, and shower. He said that the houses will be built as soon as possible as they are expected to be completed before June next year.

He said that the total value budgeted for the housing project is more than R7 million. The residents’ ward councillor, Cllr Gideon Ntshauba, who is alleged to be not on good terms with the Sanco leadership, was not part of last week’s gathering.

The chairperson of the Sanco branch, Pastor Munano, told a large group of people during the meeting that his leadership will accelerate service delivery because they do not mix politics with development.

Before the meeting was over, the Sanco leadership told residents that they should come in large numbers to the protest march against poor delivery by the Makhado Municipality on December 14.

According to Pastor Mashau, residents of Tshikota want to show the public that they are fed up with poor service delivery by the Makhado Municipality at their settlement. He said the starting point of their protest march will be the Tourism Information Centre.

News - Date: 30 November 2007

Nthambeleni Gabara

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