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 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. In May, the provincial government announced an investigation into an alleged criminal syndicate linked to the sale of RDP houses. The investigation included allegations that a subsidised house intended for an eligible beneficiary had been handed to an unauthorised occupant, bypassing official allocation procedures.

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