Cape Town - The Western Cape Human Settlements’ department is owed millions in rental arrears, with tenants living in provincial government rental housing racking up debt of more than R7.4 million.
Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela told a media briefing on Thursday the department had become the “victims of its own doing”, due to the fact government provides free houses to certain people, which resulted in some feeling entitled.
The Human Settlements department revealed tenants living in Sanddrift owed the government R3.3m, those in Plumstead’s Naruna Estate flats owed R2.3m, those living in De Waal Drive flats in Zonnebloem owed R1.4m, while tenants in the Rugby rental flats in Milnerton owed the department R289 000.
Madikizela said the rental stock was running at a loss, with a maintenance bill of R2.1m and outstanding rates and taxes of more than R4m, while the annual income generated was R4.8m.
“Rental stock must be self-sustainable; the department is not making profit out of the rental accommodation. The least we expect is that the rental payment we do get must be able to assist us to maintain the rental accommodation,” he said.
Tenants from Naruna Estate, Rugby, Sanddrift and De Waal Drive marched to the provincial legislature this month demanding proper public participation regarding new lease agreements.
Madikizela denied plans were under way to forcibly remove 144 families from the provincial government’s rental housing units.
He said the department was amending the lease contracts. A three-year renewable lease contract would be provided to all tenants who have a source of income, and a six-month lease for tenants who were unemployed and did not have an income.
“The department only proceeds with eviction of illegal occupants to its rental properties. These are individuals who are not lease holders with the department,” he said.
Madikizela said there were claims that the rent had been increased to the point where it was no longer affordable.
“There’s no truth that we are increasing the rent and people can no longer afford to pay,” he said.
Madikizela also cleared up claims that the department had evicted a mother and her child from a rental property in Sanddrift because of her refusal to sign an amended lease.
“It must be clearly understood that she was never our tenant. We had no lease agreement with that particular individual. That individual illegally occupied a unit that was occupied by a family that had a lease agreement with us,” said Madikizela.
He said the woman owed the department R8 000 in arrears.
Madikizela said neighbours had reported to the department that she was living there illegally. “Eviction becomes a last resort if people do not want to respect due processes and the law,” he said.
Madikizela said many tenants had demanded they receive title deeds for the homes they had been renting, and tenancy was not transferable to family members or dependants.
“Rental properties owned by the department should not be regarded as family units, but as rental units open to everyone who qualifies. The transferring of tenancy to family members has had a severe negative impact, disadvantaging applicants on the waiting list for rental housing,” he said.
“You do not inherit rental accommodation where the list agreement is between the department and your father and your mother, which is what we are seeing now.
“People want to inherit the rental accommodation by demanding we transfer the lease agreement from their parents to them. It just does not work like that,” he added.
Cape Argus