A government department is accused of wasting R2 million when building 130 RDP houses in Tshikota which were never occupied by beneficiaries.

The houses were completed 12 years ago at Tshikota, the residential area adjacent to Makhado town. They were built next to the filthy Tshikota hostels and stranded passers-by turned them into toilets, while foreigners used some as their hiding places. Now thugs are stealing the window frames, corrugated iron and door frames.

Sam Galane is one of the beneficiaries who tried to occupy one of the houses but was later kicked out by the Makhado Municipality. Galane said he registered for an RDP house in 2001 and stayed in one of these houses for 10 years before the Makhado Municipality's officers kicked them out. He said one of the municipal officers told the occupants that the municipality wanted to demolish them in 2008, but nothing happened.

“I wonder who paid the contractor, because the Makhado Municipality is distancing itself from the project. We need the Limpopo Department of Housing to come and see how millions of rands are being wasted by the Makhado Municipality," said Galane.

The communications officer for the Makhado Municipality, Peter Muthambi, said the 130 houses were built by the Department of Cooperative Governance Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA ) long ago. Muthambi said CoGHSTA is currently considering either revamping or demolishing the houses. “Residents were advised to move out as the structures were deemed not fit for human habitation,” said Muthambi.

The spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Housing, Deketseng Diale said the houses had been developed under the hostel redevelopment programme in November 2001. It is, however, a blocked project. “According to the Housing Subsidy System, the project commenced in November 2001 and the cost amounted to R2 080 000. The project is planned to be redeveloped under the community residential unit (CRU) programme and in the 2013/14 financial year we will focus on preparing this project for implementation,” said Diale.