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FACT FINDING: Public Protector Thuli Madonsela inspects an unfinished RDP house in Mpumalanga. Photo: Sibongile Mashaba

STILL WAITING: Kenneth Mkasi's RDP house has not been completed after seven years.

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Kenneth Mkasi of Moremela Village near Lydenburg was 30 years old when a contractor started building the house in 2005, but left the work halfway.

"They were here for about a month or two, then they disappeared," Mkasi - now aged 37 - said yesterday.

"I never saw or heard from them ever again. I reported the matter to the council, and the human settlements department, but nothing was done about it."

Mkasi now lives at his grandmother's mud house with his wife Zodwa, 33, and their two children aged eight and 15 - together with his uncles and their wives.

"There are many people there," Mkasi said. "Sometimes, we do not get along. I just want my house to be completed so that my children can have a home. If I die now, my children won't have a place to stay.

"I cannot apply for another house. Each time I go to the municipal offices, I am told that I cannot be given a house because I already have one. I am baffled because that house is incomplete," he said.

Mpumalanga department of human settlements spokesman Freddy Ngobe confirmed that - according to their records - the house had been completed.

"Chima and Karabo was contracted to build Mr Kenneth Mkasi's house at Kanana Section in Moremela Village, and unfortunately Mr Oupa Manzini, the construction company's owner, passed away some years back. Our records indicate that the house was built," Ngobe said. ". According to the records regarding the project, the building inspector certified the quality of Mr Mkasi's house for payment."

"The department will investigate the matter and through the municipality, he [Mkasi] will be enlisted to benefit from projects to be delivered in the area."

Ngobe said Mkasi would not have to go onto the waiting list because his information was already in their HSS (housing subsidy system) data base.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said during her visit in August that her office would investigate this case, among others, following complaints by residents of shoddy work by contractors in Mpumalanga.

"We will work towards the recovery of monies paid to contractors who did shoddy work or did not complete their job."

Comments

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Wed May 22 21:48:13 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 4, 2012

warry

Shem, you are not alone. There are lots of them. Whoever the tenderprenuer was bout a huge car and started to have lockable girls and even went to extent of divorcing his wife.
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Oct 4, 2012

Lebowa

Municipal officials have messed up big time and they need a serious reshuffling. How can you say your records says the house is complete, whereas its not, and who was the inspector in that area, it means the person is as corrupt as all of them. Or he/she never even inpected the houses. Clean them up Thuli until they realise that we are here to work, not to cripple the municipality and leave our community stranded. And for those contractors who were paid for not delivering, make sure that they repay back our monies or else blacklisted not to ever be given a contract anywhere
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Oct 4, 2012

!!Sinudeity!!

Its the ANC Kenneth. We are all used to this corruption and incompetence.
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Oct 4, 2012

Tlhagaraga

Some people are so weak, why waiting for Goverment for a house and a job for 7 years, you have brain and hands, your not disable. Sell sweets and cigarretes work yourself up until you can afford to buy yourself a house even a car, unless you decide to wait...
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Oct 4, 2012

mashima?

Sham to Mr Mkasi and his family, how painful to stay in an extended family, your personal space is jeopadised.

This is corruption to my understanding an inspector is a field worker if he/she approved the incomplete house as complete, then this is an insult to her/his learnered friend, that is why most of the RDP are danger to other families, they end up cracking and falling. You ask youself where are the professional inspectors. How do you investigate what you see with your naked eyes, while the family is suffering and you further say he have a house as per you record. sisman!!!!!!!!!
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Oct 4, 2012

Breee11

Why does a grown @$$ man ,with a wife and two kids doesn't stand up, work hard and try to fend for his family, i say Shem to the grandmother who made a mud house and her lazy grand kids just want to bring home wife and stay with them in her mud house.

We ppl from SA are very lazy and our government made us that way, i'm sure this man is living off his kids grant and the old woman's pension. This is not a sad story,it's just a very good lession in life that ppl need to start doing their part. the Government owes no one nothing, i really want to see my tax money doing somthing with while.
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Oct 4, 2012

Tlhagaraga

Unfortunately our politicians that happens to be Goverment does not teaching it's people to work hard for themselves, they teach people to wait for free things, like it or not you cannot satisfy us all with the tax money, TEACH PEOLPLE TO WORK AND GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO DO...
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Oct 4, 2012

DA-DBN-GUY

Just keep putting your little cross next to the anc and maybe you will get it as a 50th birthday present. anc delivers to all..........eventually but maybe not in your life time. Amandla service protests amandla broken promises amandla weak governance
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Oct 4, 2012

MommaC

"...the building inspector certified the quality of Mr Mkasi's house for payment."

So this is the quality of building inspectors now?
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Oct 4, 2012

AfricanFarmer

Ag no man Kenneth,
Sitting on your hands for seven years.
I know two farm workers who, on their minimal wage, built two beautiful homes, (not RDP houses), by making their own bricks, doing their own digging, casting floors and foundations and bricklaying all in their own time by themself.
It took them only 18 months.
I also heard about a women who waited for 25 years for her RDP house and eventually got it.
Its your choice Kenneth my man!
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