Quality of social housing under fire

AFFORDABLE housing is the future of home ownership but the quality of developments has proven to be a problem.

In Springs, Ekurhuleni, the National Home Builders Registration Council has been accused of failing to do its work. Hundreds of residents in Hlanganani village are living in shoddy houses.

This is the accusation by residents and the industry regulator has failed to clear its name, repeatedly failing to answer Sowetan's questions and ultimately pointing a finger at the municipality and developer.

Major bank executives have declared the affordable housing sector to be the future lifeblood of the housing market.

Nicholas Nkosi, Standard Bank's director of affordable housing, said the bracket caters for households with a monthly income of R8000 to R15733. These applicants usually also get a full loan for their bond and can typically afford a house of up to R500000. The South African bond market is sitting at more than R900-billion and Standard Bank has about R250-billion of the market plus about R11-billion in the affordable housing sector. Two years ago an affordable house was R250000. Currently the going price is R320000. But social housing, which is usually a private-public partnership, has had its share of problems.

In July angry residents of Pennyville, Soweto, dared the sheriff of the court and police to continue with evictions.

Five families had already been locked out of their houses after Absa Bank obtained an order from the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court. But residents claimed they did not know about the pending evictions and burnt tyres and barricaded roads.

Residents said Absa owed them a total of R950000 after charging them for water and electricity when they were using prepaid systems.

In November chaos broke out in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, as Red Ants security guards evicted 46 families at a social housing development because of non-payment. Residents burnt tyres as metro police fired rubber bullets. Several people were arrested.