The Limpopo department of cooperative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs is concerned that recipients of government-provided low-cost houses are selling them informally to get around sale restrictions.
MEC Basikopo Makamu said the number of beneficiaries selling their houses instead of living in them for the stipulated minimum of eight years was “worrying”.
Beneficiaries selling RDP homes before eight years ‘worrying’
His spokesperson, Amos Phago, said according to Section 10A of the Housing Act, 1997 , the subsidy-financed property may not be disposed of by the beneficiary for a period of eight years from the date on which he or she acquired the property.
This provision, he said, is to be registered against the title deed of the property and the registrar of deeds may not allow the transfer of ownership to occur without the approval of the MEC.
Speaking to The Citizen soon after handing over the keys of a new house to one needy family in the Molemole area outside Polokwane, the MEC said his department had promised to deliver 2 923 housing units across Limpopo this financial year but had, in fact, completed 4 532 units.
