The Thulamela Municipality is accused of corruption and nepotism, after the municipality built an RDP house at Chief Nthangeni Netshiavha’s kraal, where there are plenty of houses.

Cllr Alfred Nevondo of Ward 36 confirmed that he didn’t partake in the allocation of the RDP house to Chief Netshiavha’s kraal. Nevondo said he allocated 20 houses to Tshiavha village, and the houses are not yet built.

“It is a shock to see the erection of 40 houses at Tshiavha, of which the first RDP house is at the Chief’s kraal. I was not informed about this,” Nevondo said.

Nevondo added that the foundation of the Chief’s RDP house is different to those of others; it is made of stone, whereas other villagers are getting a poor foundation.

“The procedure of allocating houses is wrong and please ask the mayor, Chief Thivhulawi Makumbane, as he knows everything about the Tshiavha housing,” Nevondo said.

“I still remember that Mayor Makumbane and Mr Reuben Dzivhani took me to Tshiavha village and I didn’t know the purpose of the errand,” he added. “I visited Tshiavha village months ago to encourage the election of a Civic Association, and the chief scolded me,” Cllr Nevondo said.

According to a source within the Tshiavha village, all building material was packed at the chief’s kraal, and chief Netshiavha is the first to get an RDP house, whereas other poor villagers don’t have a shelter to sleep. Netshiavha dispatched building materials to other households, seeing that his RDP house is completed.

“The Ward Committee, Councillor or Civic Association must store housing materials, but at Tshiavha everything belongs to the chief, there is no civic, and he is practicing autocracy,” said angry villagers.

Thulamela Municipality’s Housing Administrator, Mr Reuben Dzivhani, said the municipality allocated 20 PHP houses to Tshiavha village long ago, and the developer disappeared. Another 20 RDP houses were allocated on the second list, which is why Tshiavha village has 40 houses on the list. “We allow councilors, local civic associations and chiefs to submit the people who qualify to get houses. I don’t support the erection of an RDP house at the chief’s kraal, because he has many houses,” Dzivhani said. “Cllr Nevondo should have monitored everything and reported to the municipality. We were not aware that the Chief got the RDP house. In the Thulamela Municipality, we are going to build 37 000 houses and in December 2005, all the incomplete houses should be completed.”

In reaction to the allegations, Chief Netshiavha acknowledged that the RDP house had been built at his place. He mentioned, however, that he is not the owner of the house, but that it belongs to a relative.