The New Age: Community in fist fight over RDP houses

http://www.thenewage.co.za/65907-1011-53-Community_in_fist_fight_over_RDP_houses

Community in fist fight over RDP houses

Mpho Mashego

The N2 Gateway housing project has again led to conflict among the hundreds of people waiting to be allocated houses, this time even degenerating into fist fights during a community meeting.

The Joe Slovo informal settlement held a meeting at the weekend after the names of the beneficiaries for the Gateway Project were released. In the end police were called in after the community accused community leaders of colluding with the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to sell RDP houses to other people.

“Last night the Joe Slovo community held a mass meeting with community leaders such as Sfiso Mapasa. The community is angry because of corruption within the N2 Gateway housing project where it is alleged that certain HDA officials and community leaders are colluding to sell new RDP homes in the project,” said Boitumelo Ramahlele from Temporary Relocation Area(TRA).

“HDA finally released the list of intended beneficiaries to community residents – something residents have been demanding for a long time.

“But now the Joe Slovo leadership is refusing to release that list to residents to conduct their own investigation into corruption.

“The leadership says only itself can conduct investigations of the alleged corruption. But the community does not trust these leaders. We therefore have every right to conduct an independent door-to-door investigation,” he said.

Abahlali Basemjondolo, an organisation that monitors the plight of people living in informal settlements, confirmed that on Saturday night there was a fight between the community and its leadership.

Abahlali baseMjondolo and the community held a follow up meeting yesterday afternoon.

The Gateway Project has been at the centre of controversy for many years with various informal settlement communities fighting over to whom the houses be allocated