Residents of the social housing units in Thembelihle Village are requesting a meeting with Tshwane MMC Aaron Maluleka to raise concerns about unpaid rent and tenants’ evictions.
Image: Thobile Mathonsi / Independent Newspapers
The Thembelihle Residents Association says residents living in social housing units in Thembelihle Village, Pretoria, want a meeting with Tshwane MMC Aaron Maluleka to raise issues regarding unpaid rent and the eviction of tenants accused of defaulting on payments.
This comes after Maluleka recently urged all tenants in municipal rental stock — including those in high-rise buildings, rental houses, and hostels — to pay their rent, saying it is necessary to maintain safe, clean, and dignified living conditions for all residents.
He also warned that tenants' failure to pay would affect the necessary maintenance and repairs of buildings and housing units.
"Consistent rental payments play an important role in ensuring that municipal housing facilities remain properly maintained, financially sustainable, and able to continue serving thousands of residents across the city," Maluleka said.
Speaking for the association, Mary Tati, said: "We do not disagree with paying rent, but we expect services to be given to us."
She expressed concern that since residents had issues with the managing agent, Yeast City Housing, their attempts to engage the municipality were unsuccessful.
"We had several meetings previously to highlight our frustration, and we were never assisted."
Tati said residents have been living without electricity since 2022 because the managing company has not paid the municipality for electricity since residents moved to Thembelihle in 2018.
"We were paying the company (Voltano) that was buying electricity in bulk and charging us for supplying us."
She said that in the past, tenants faced eviction proceedings through the High Court, adding that the municipality supported the eviction instead of intervening to help.
"Some tenants were illegally evicted on March 10, 2026. They are still seeking an eviction order in the High Court for the remaining tenants," she said, referring to the 200 tenants evicted last year amid growing concerns over rent disputes.
After the eviction, the association launched a fundraising campaign to help those affected by covering legal costs for court applications. At the time, they said another 348 tenants were also at risk of eviction.
Tati said: "We had one meeting with MMC Aaron Maluleka last year, and he promised to return to us. However, his office keeps changing the meeting date and has not communicated a new date until today. We hope that our plea will be heard for us to have some kind of negotiations to proceed living here, and the other members who were evicted to be reinstated."
Maluleka said the city recognises the financial pressures many households face but emphasises that cooperation between tenants and the municipality is essential to protecting affordable rental housing opportunities and improving living conditions over time.
"The department therefore reminds tenants of the importance of paying rent consistently and on time, in accordance with the lease agreements they have signed," he said.
Thembelihle Village, a low-cost housing project, was launched by the government in 2018 for individuals earning between R11,301 and R22,000 monthly.
For years, the project has been plagued by issues linked to tenants not paying rent and utilities, which eventually led to the property being placed under business rescue.
Yeast City Housing NPC, which manages Thembelihle Village, previously reported that many tenants have defaulted on payments since 2019, putting financial strain on utilities, services, and rentals, with outstanding arrears nearing R60 million.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za