Ramaphosa warns against illegal sales and occupation of subsidised homes in KZN

President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned against the unlawful sale and occupation of subsidised houses, calling for greater transparency in housing allocations as families displaced by the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods continue to be relocated to permanent homes.

Ramaphosa made the remarks on Thursday during a visit to the Cornubia Integrated Human Settlements Project north of Durban, where government is providing permanent homes to families displaced by the devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods of April 2022.

The project forms part of government’s efforts to move flood survivors out of temporary accommodation and into permanent housing. Four years after the disaster, some affected families have received homes, while others are still waiting for relocation.

Ramaphosa said communities needed clear information about who qualified for housing, how many units would be allocated and when construction projects would be completed.

The president said government would not allow subsidised houses to be sold unlawfully or occupied outside the proper allocation processes.

This is an outstanding human settlements development, and we ask the community as well to reject the unlawful sale or occupation of subsidised houses.

The warning comes amid previous investigations and reports concerning the alleged fraudulent sale and allocation of subsidised housing in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ramaphosa said the government, municipalities, provincial departments and implementing agencies had to fulfil their responsibilities and communicate clearly with communities waiting for homes.

He said officials needed to be transparent about project timelines and explain when outstanding houses would be completed.

The president said the government was committed to ensuring that housing projects delivered permanent homes and functioning communities rather than leaving families dependent on emergency accommodation.

Emergency accommodation must never become a permanent way of life.

Ramaphosa said government would monitor the situation and introduce measures to prevent properties from being unlawfully occupied or transferred.

We want our people to have title. But that title must be vested in them, and just not be sold within the timeframe that has been set by the department.