The FF Plus welcomes the recent announcement by the City of Cape Town's Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, that ownership of the City's rental units will be transferred to the existing tenants.
Very poor families, particularly on the Cape Flats, have been renting from the City for decades, some since before 1994.
And it is time to afford these people the opportunity to become owners of these properties.
The City of Cape Town must also use this opportunity to rid the allocation system for rental units of all unlawful residents.
Law-abiding South African citizens, whose names have been on the housing-need register for years, must be given the opportunity to receive rental units.
Many of the rental units were not properly maintained by the City and now have structural problems. The City must address this issue before the title deeds are handed over.
In a recent incident, on 13 September 2022, a single mother with two children living in Morning Star, Durbanville, suffered a house fire, which nearly destroyed everything she owned. The fire was presumably caused by an electrical short circuit.
It happened in less than a month after she had taken ownership of the rental property. She has since been forced to vacate the unit.
Nether the City of Cape Town nor the Department of Human Settlements have offered her any assistance.
The FF Plus enquired whether a valid electrical certificate of compliance was issued in terms Regulation 7(5) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. To date, no feedback has been received.
The FF Plus will continue to monitor the situation. Both the City of Cape Town and the Mayor must see to it that due diligence investigations are conducted before title deeds are handed over to worthy and deserving beneficiaries.
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