Don't pay to get on the list: City of Cape Town warns about this housing scam

The City of Cape Town has warned about ongoing housing scams targeting the most desperate and vulnerable residents.

This comes after beneficiaries were asked to pay to register on the city’s housing needs register for a government house.

“We recently became aware of a case in which an applicant received an email advising she would receive a title deed for a house in Watergate, Mitchells Plain if she paid a sum of money.

“If you are asked to pay to register on the city's housing needs register for a government housing Breaking New Ground (BNG) opportunity or a plot of city-owned land, you are being scammed,” said the city's acting mayoral committee member for human settlements, alderman James Vos.

Vos said if the opportunity is advertised as a “RDP house” but the correspondence does not have a city letterhead it could be a scam.

“Residents and applicants looking for government housing are encouraged to be aware of scams. If you think you might have been the target or victim of a housing scam, please report it to the police. These types of cases happen regularly and impact the most desperate, vulnerable residents.”

Vos reiterated that qualifying beneficiaries do not need to pay to register on the housing needs register or to receive a subsidy housing opportunity.

“The register, which is protected, updated and audited, is necessary to prevent queue-jumping and to provide opportunities in a fair and ordered manner. This is important given the acute need for housing opportunities across the metro.

“We have unfortunately been made aware of a number of these cases taking place in areas across the metro in recent weeks and months and we encourage our residents and beneficiaries to also contact the city should they be concerned this is the case,” he said.

TimesLIVE