18/05/2015: City in new move to end Diepkloof Hostel impasse
The City of Johannesburg will from July conduct an audit in all Soweto hostels to ascertain the financial positions of all inhabitants, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing Councillor Dan Bovu announced yesterday.
MMC Bovu was addressing residents of Diepkloof Hostel in Soweto, where he explained how residents could qualify for the residential units that had been built in the hostel precinct for rental purposes.
About 240 units, completed in 2008 are standing vacant following a dispute between the City and residents on the modalities of who qualified for them.
While stressing that the City was determined to do away with apartheid-style hostels, the MMC said the audit would assist the City to determine how many people qualified for rental units, free housing, bonded property and site and service stands.
“With a proper audit, we will be able to know who deserves what and what needs to be done,” MMC Bovu said.
The MMC had earlier acknowledged that there was an oversight in building strictly rental units without implementing breaking new grounds principles of mixed housing. It was also resolved that those who would qualify for RDP housing opportunities within the 110 beneficiaries will be allocated to other city’s housing projects.
A packed hall of more than 500 residents was told that priority would be given to those who were moved to temporary shelters about eight years ago.
The City will from tomorrow (19 May) conduct a separate audit of all the 110 residents accommodated at temporary shelters to determine their financial status and to ascertain whether they qualified for free housing (RDP), rental units or bonded property. The audit's report is expected in 14 days.
The meeting also heard that the City’s multimillion rand programme to reconstruct hostels did not imply that hostels were being completely done away with. MMC Bovu said, instead the City is determined to end the squalid conditions under which residents live and to create family units to enhance social cohesion and promote integration.
Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Bonginkosi Dlamini said it was clear the new residential units were not what hostel residents had expected and called for a change in attitude in dealing with the housing challenges faced by hostel residents.
Ward councillor Solly Mogase said the way had now been cleared for a speedy and amicable resolution of the housing problem at the hostel.
ENDS
Issued by the City of Johannesburg
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