The DA demands that Mantsopa Local Municipality Mayor, Mamsie Tsoene, explain why residents who have been allocated housing sites, have been refused access to these sites since 2016. In a letter to the mayor, we demand to know why the process to install services in this area is being delayed. Residents have paid for their sites and are waiting to move in. In the same letter, the DA demands to know what the municipality has done with the funds received from the sale of these sites.
Since 2016, when Council first approved the list, the ANC used this particular area to promise housing sites as a campaign tool to gain votes. The municipality has delayed the processing by spending three years verifying the list and two years selling the sites until the 2021 elections. What delaying tactic will the ANC use to stretch to the 2024 elections?
The housing backlog in the Free State is the worst in the country. As reported by the National Department of Human Settlements, there are 11,000 incomplete houses, similar to the project in Platberg. 220 housing projects have been terminated. The department in the province is bankrupt. According to the Zondo Commission, this was the result of corruption, mismanagement and looting.
The DA will escalate this matter to the Public Protector. We will continue to fight for the restitution of funds that were misappropriated by the municipality and the implementation of strict laws and regulations to ensure that corruption and looting are rooted out.
