The Gauteng Housing List seems to be akin to the Holy Grail, Philosopher’s Stone or Atlantis – it does not exist.
As the Record once again heard in an informal settlement on 27 August, one, if not the biggest, gripe shack dwellers have is how long they have been waiting for houses. The list seems to be a handy tool for government to keep informal settlement dwellers, such as those in Leratong Village, at bay.
The failure of Human Settlements MEC Ntombi Mekgwe to provide details on the Gauteng Housing Demand Database after the DA has requested this in the Provincial Legislator, reinforces the notion that it is nonexistent.
“When asked about the backlog in housing recently the MEC indicated that a ‘sizeable number of applicants’ have been waiting for more than five years.
“This means that either the database is nonexistent, or the MEC and her department have no idea of what is going on,” says DA Gauteng Housing spokesperson Janet Semple.
The myth of the housing list and demand database is supported by a recent report by the Community Law Centre (CLC) at the University of the Western Cape and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI).
The report states that “the ‘housing waiting list’ does not exist or function in any way that it is understood to exist or function.
“I often am approached by citizens who ask me to assist with verifying their status on the database, and regularly – despite having a receipt from the department – their names do not appear on the list.
“The DA’s repeated attempts to get detailed information on the database continue to hit a brick wall,” says Semple.
The DA will now submit a request in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to compel the MEC to provide the “mythical” database and detailed information on the backlog in housing in the province.
