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IFP eThekwini member of the Executive of the eThekwini Municipality, Cllr Mdu
Nkosi today has opposed the revision of Housing and Hostel rentals review for
2015/16 at the eThekwini Council meeting held in City Hall today.

"The municipality must have a better plan because we are all aware that people
who are leaving in the rental house are leaving under the awful circumstance due
to the non-maintenance of these properties. The houses are cracking and sewers
are not attended to when they are damaged," he said.

"As for the hostels  we find it very strange how they reviewed the tariffs
because most of the people living at the hostels are not working and some are
the people who moved from the rural areas to town for job hunting, so we are not
certainly sure that most of them are working. We also believe that this review
will increase the crime rate in this areas as the people will be hunting for the
money to pay this rent to the municipality!  As the municipality its self is
aware that these people have no ownership of this property and therefore they
are not able to renovate by fixing the cracks, especially in the hostels.  The
residents have no privacy because you can even view what the neighbour is doing
inside the house due to the large cracks in the walls.  People are also affected
by the wind and rain." said Cllr Nkosi.

"The IFP is not against the review but we are of the view that people must be
curtained for what they will be paying for.  The municipality must ensure that
the living conditions are respectable and worthy for human beings to live in. So
the municipality must first look over this issues before making the review."

In conclusion, the IFP demand the municipality to ensure that ground work is
done by the municipality before it's considers implementing these proposed
tariffs in these areas," concluded Cllr Nkosi.

Issued by IFP