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The rightful beneficiaries of the new Sethokga Hostel development project in Tembisa continue to be exposed to terrible and inhumane living conditions while their newly built housing units have been illegally invaded.

The new Sethokga Hostel development project was invaded in 2016, and the matter is still in court. The rightful beneficiaries are still residing in the old and dilapidated old Sethokga Hostel.

The old hostel structure has been neglected and lacks proper and regular maintenance. The building structure has severe cracks, water and sewer leaks, and the kitchen appliances are not working.

Please see the images here and here.

It is alleged that most of the illegal invaders do not live at the units, but they are renting out the units to tenants.

In 2017, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements began to build another hostel block for the hostel residents residing at the old Sethokga Hostel. The construction is now in its final stages; however, the contractor has abandoned the project due to financial disagreements with the department.

The DA demands that the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements must review its agreements with the Department of Infrastructure in terms of the construction of housing projects as it constantly rewards tenders to service providers who do not have the financial capacity to complete the work.

We also demand that the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Lebogang Maile, must urgently engage the department's legal team to speed up the process of evicting the illegal invaders so that the rightful beneficiaries can be allocated to their units.

Issued by Mervyn Cirota MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements