The abandoned municipal building in Witzenberg Municipality in Ceres where Cynthia Bless, 54, and her disabled wheelchair-bound son live. The building is classed as unfit for human occupation. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town - The issue of a new home for a Ceres mother Cynthia Bless, 54, and her disabled son, who uses a wheelchair, appeared to stump Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers during a discussion of the department’s annual reports in the legislature on Monday.
In 2021, Bless was asked to leave an abandoned municipal building in Witzenberg Municipality that was classed as unfit for human occupation.
They had moved to the house in desperation after spending more than 20 years on the municipality’s waiting list. When the matter first arose last year, MEC Simmers said Bless was the recipient of a housing subsidy approved by his department on September 1, 2020, for the Vredebes Housing Project in Ceres, but the house had yet to be built.
On Tuesday, in response to human settlements standing committee member Pat Marran (ANC), who had asked why Bless had still not moved to her house, Simmers said it was because when the project was completed, it was found that no disabled-friendly units had been built.
Simmers said he would be asking the department’s head when Bless would get a house.
Marran said he was disappointed that Simmers could not provide a clear answer, despite having knowledge of the case since early 2021.
Marran said: “The DA government has clearly failed Bless and her family. We will continue to challenge this uncaring government.”
Meanwhile, committee chairperson Matlhodi Maseko (DA) congratulated the department for creating 881 new employment opportunities for locals in areas where housing projects were completed throughout the province, as stated in its 2021/22 Annual Report.
With regard to the issue, raised by Maseko, of beneficiaries of government housing units selling their homes soon after receiving them, Simmers said the illegal sale of Breaking New Ground units was very frustrating.
He said sometimes the same house was found to have been sold three or four times within the period of eight years during which sale was illegal and that this had a massive impact on the department’s ability to transfer those title deeds.
In March this year Simmers warned beneficiaries of BNG houses that if they sold their state-subsidised homes without following due process they would face the full force of the law.
He said this when he conducted an impromptu visit to the Highbury Park Housing Project in Kuils River, following numerous social media posts showing the illegal sale of BNG houses.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za