HUNDREDS of families in a low-income housing development in Springs are up in arms over costly repairs to their homes due to poor workmanship and other infrastructural problems.

In March, Sowetan reported the plight of the community and the development's main financier Standard Bank, promised to remedy the situation by mid-year, while the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) said it would take a few weeks to investigate.

At the time, problems included roof leakages, exposed electricity cables, overflowing sewage, untarred roads and no street lighting, among others. These appear not yet to have been resolved.

Many first-time home buyers at Hlanganani village in Ekurhuleni say they were deceived when they took up bonds in the poorly developed area.

Lebogang Tshabalala said: "This house floods every time it rains. It is horrible," he said.

Phumlani Mdlalase complained about rising dampness inside and outside his house, and said: "It has made my ceiling unstable."

Another resident, Whitey Motsamai, said there had been a number of fruitless meetings with authorities. "We regret buying these houses. We are locked in bond contracts and nobody is willing to buy them."

After avoiding Sowetan's enquiries for several months, NHBRC spokesman Conrad Mors said: "The main problems are the infrastructure-related issues for which the developer, Revo Development, has admitted responsibility, but does not have additional funding to complete. The developer has also opted for a tender to sell the development but potential bidders are concerned about initial funding by banks without service certificates from the municipality and the short supply of electricity for the whole village.

"As a last resort, the developer confirmed that it will file for liquidation," said Mors.

The NHBRC started a preliminary investigation on March 23 with only two complaints lodged against the developer. In its investigation, the NHBRC found:

• Stormwater management was not satisfactory - this causes unnecessary water ponding;
• Town planning requirements were ignored and houses were too close to each other;
• Accessibility to some properties is inadequate;
• Finished floor levels in some houses are at the same level with the natural ground level; and
• Rising dampness which is not covered by the NHBRC.

The NHBRC recommended that "Ekurhuleni municipality should be approached to respond on issues that relate to town planning".

Standard Bank spokesman Ross Linstrom said the bank had spent R7.4-million since Sowetan's report.

He said the guard-house was supplied with electricity and maintenance was done on now enclosed electrical facilities.

"All storm water, electrical reticulation and roads, with the exception of Cathcart, have been completed,"Linstrom said.

He said 53 houses in phase two of the project had been handed over after being fixed at additional cost and seven more would be handed over by mid-November.

Linstrom conceded that the bank had found it difficult to sell the development.

Ekurhuleni's communications department had failed to respond to Sowetan's enquiries in time despite promising to do so.