ActionSA calls for an urgent investigation into serious allegations surrounding the allocation and administration of RDP and subsidised houses in Emakhazeni Local Municipality.
Residents who have waited years for government housing are coming forward with accounts of applications allegedly being rejected or left on waiting lists, while checks conducted by ActionSA with Provincial Human Settlements indicate that some applications were in fact approved. There must be an explanation for these discrepancies.
One of the most concerning cases is that of Ms Mapule Nkele, a single mother who says she has been fighting for a home for almost 20 years. According to documentation, a subsidised house had been allocated in Ms Nkele’s name. However, the property was occupied by another person, who subsequently demolished the original structure and began constructing a larger house on the site.
While this was happening, Ms Nkele was living in extremely difficult circumstances with her children. She sought legal assistance and spent approximately R32,000 on an attorney to secure the home she had been waiting for.
ActionSA subsequently intervened with the relevant authorities and Ms Nkele was eventually allocated another house. We welcome the fact that Ms Nkele now has a home. But this does not close the matter. It raises an even bigger question: how does an RDP house allocated to one beneficiary end up in the hands of someone else?
Another case, that of an elderly woman was just as alarming. This elderly woman was living in a shack without water, electricity or a toilet. ActionSA approached Provincial Human Settlements to establish the status of her housing application, which indicated that her application had been approved – yet the woman says she had repeatedly approached the Emakhazeni housing authorities seeking answers and had been told that her house was not approved. How can an elderly person be living in a shack without basic services while provincial housing records indicate that her application was approved? That is a question the responsible authorities must answer.
ActionSA calls on the Mpumalanga MEC responsible for Human Settlements to urgently institute an independent investigation and comprehensive audit of housing allocations in Emakhazeni. The investigation must establish how many approved beneficiaries are actually occupying their allocated homes, whether beneficiaries have been removed or replaced on the housing system, who authorised such changes, and whether houses have been occupied or allocated outside the prescribed process.
ActionSA further calls on the Hawks, SAPS, Public Protector and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to assess the allegations and investigate any potential criminality or maladministration within their respective mandates.
ActionSA will therefore hold a public meeting on Sunday, 11 October 2026, in Siyathuthuka, where affected residents will have an opportunity to come forward, explain their experiences and present supporting documentation. The MEC responsible for Human Settlements and representatives of the relevant housing authorities is invited to attend the meeting and hear directly from residents.
For years, residents have been told to wait. Some have remained in shacks, some have grown old waiting for a home, and others have watched people occupy properties they believe were allocated to them.
ActionSA is demanding transparency, accountability and an independent investigation. The housing records must be audited. The allocation process must be examined. Affected beneficiaries must be heard. And where wrongdoing is proven, those responsible must be held accountable.
The people of Emakhazeni have waited long enough for answers.
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