Infrastructure
Question by:
Hon Pat Lekker
Answered by:
Hon Tertuis Simmers
Question Number:
13
Question Body:
In respect of the Department’s rental stock:
- What is the current number of vacant units under his Department’s management, (b) what are the reasons for these vacancies and (c) what are the associated financial costs to his Department due to these unoccupied units?
Answer Body:
- There are currently 30 vacant units across the following precincts in Sandrift, Plumstead, Gatesville Flats and De Waal Flat.
- The former Department of Human Settlements introduced a waiting list for government officials in 2016 whereby a specific number of officials were registered. Allocations were made from either this list or the City of Cape Town Housing Needs Database. The “government officials” list is now depleted, and applicants are solely sourced only from the municipal list.
The current vacant units are the result of several reasons, i.e. tenant deceased, eviction of illegal occupants, illegal activities or units up for sale. The procedure that the Department of Infrastructure follows is to request the City Of Cape Town for the next available names on its Housing Needs Database. The Department then takes the names through a vetting process. Unfortunately, in most instances the applicants do not meet the rental allocation criteria.
(c) The cost of the forfeited rental is R66 850 per month.
Date:
Thursday, April 24, 2025
