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In his State of the Province address, Premier Dukwana committed to completing 11 000 incomplete houses and to resolving blockages in stalled projects in partnership with the National Home Builders Registration Council. To date, nothing has happened and there is not even a sign of any work happening on the ground.

Whilst the Department is deeply immersed in legal battles trying to get a scapegoat for the stalling projects, residents have lost patience and have now taken matters into their own hands in response to what they perceive as a lack of commitment from the government. As such, they have now resorted to illegally occupying houses. This is what happened today in Silver City where residents attempted to unlawfully occupy the houses.

Numerous investigations have been undertaken with no consequences and there are people being protected at the expense of homeless residents.

This housing project, which is estimated to be worth R110 million, started during Ace Magashule’s tenure as Premier, with public funds being unlawfully spent yet it remains incomplete. 

The five-year delay in completing the project was blamed on the contractor yet there are no consequences faced by the contractor. 

ActionSA, in March, urged the newly appointed MEC Makume to prioritize the completion of these housing units because people are homeless and getting desperate and it is the department’s nonchalant approach that has led to this chaos. 

ActionSA is against lawlessness, we nevertheless sympathize with these desperate residents who are falling prey to unscrupulous ANC leaders and their networks of patronage.

Issued by ActionSA Free State Provincial Chairperson Patricia Kopane