The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo was shocked and stunned after it was officially announced in the Legislature that the Limpopo Department of Housing had scooped the Govan Mbeki Award at a ceremony that was held in Durban last Friday. 

The Department of Local Government and Housing in Limpopo was awarded a cash prize of R3 million and a trophy during the National Govan Mbeki Award for its excellent performance in the housing field.

The DA member of the Limpopo Legislature, Mr Michael Holford, questioned last week how on earth the Limpopo Department of Local Government and Housing could be nominated as the best in the country, whereas thousands of RDP houses are still incomplete?

He further said that if the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Maite Nkoana Mashabane, had outclassed the eight provincial housing departments in terms of performance, “then the judges are confusing the people.”

Holford indicated that the DA has evidence to the contrary to support its claim, because Mashabane failed to handle the crisis of Extension 7 in the Musina Municipality. He added that Mashabane failed to intervene in the Blouberg Municipality’s internal political problems timeously and provide political direction, which resulted in administrative instability.

According to him, the MEC had pumped R45 million rand into the Lephalale municipality that was later returned to the provincial treasury.

He added that there were thousands of incomplete RDP Houses and foundation slabs that were laid in Lebowakgomo which were left unattended for over three years. “In other areas, the quality of houses is so poor that many people are moving out of them because of cracks and crumbling,” said Holford, adding that Mashabane also distributed houses to undeserving beneficiaries across the province.       

According to Holford, he understands that the audit report on housing had not been dealt with by Scopa as information was still outstanding from the department. “What we are questioning is the standard which was used to evaluate the nine provincial departments during the awards. If indeed the Limpopo’s Department of Local Government and Housing could be the best performing department by the above standard, then there is a need for a new social contract,” outlined Holford.

Holford said that another housing drama is happening at the Vhembe District’s Miluwani site of the Thohoyandou area, where government officials are occupying RDP houses while poor people remain homeless.

A homeless person, Rudzani Ramashia of Miluwani, said he was sleeping in an old vehicle with his wife and baby as his RDP house had been sold by a local chief to someone else for the amount of R500.

In response, MEC Maite Nkoana Mashabane said there would be no incomplete slabs in the next coming financial year. “People have no rights to sell RDP houses and if they want to move, they must return the government houses,” she said.

She further indicated that she had sent a housing officer to attend the problem at Miluwani.