Cape Town - After having paid deposits for plots in the Fairdale area in 2019, a group of approximately 70 purchasers are at their wits’ end having still not been given their land by the City.
“Frustrated is an understatement. I am pissed off,” said Zola Moyikwa, a purchaser from Philippi.
The group were supposed to receive their plots in 2021 but the handover has been delayed by more than two years as the City struggles to deal with extortion, difficulties clearing and preparing the land, and people fraudulently selling plots.
Many from the group say the City’s delay has worsened their poverty and financial status dramatically. Purchasers also complained that some family members had even died while waiting for the project to be completed.
Moyikwa said he invested his hard-earned money in buying a home, but now he has ended up losing money in the form of the equated monthly instalments on the home loan he took out for this plot while still having to pay for rented accommodation.
Purchaser Phunyuzwa Tshemese from Mfuleni said: “I am very frustrated and emotionally drained by the City’s delay … The City has failed us, now we are facing hard times, where we can't manage our financial situation because we went to banks for loans, which we continue to pay with still no plots handed over.”
The City apologised to the residents for the delay and said it was taking measures to respond to the numerous issues regarding the handover. It added that any purchaser can request to be refunded if they cannot wait any longer and a few have done so already.
A contributing factor behind the delay, according to the City, is a company in the area demanding to be appointed to undertake all the services work on the site.
The City said another factor was that approximately 100 people were fraudulently sold plots by a party posing as a City official who forged the signature of an official on a City letterhead. They lost their case in court but are now demanding their problem be resolved before the sale to the 67 purchasers is finalised.
In addition, the City said that when it initially attempted to hand over plots, the group refused to take occupation until the department had cleared their plots of vegetation and provided electrical and water connections.
After this, 24 households illegally occupied some of the plots and they are now also demanding that their occupation be regularised before the sale to the current purchasers is finalised.
“The City is eager to hand over the plots to the beneficiaries as soon as possible ... The City has established an inter-departmental team, which is meeting regularly to monitor and drive this project to ensure rapid progress. The City plans to complete the rehabilitation process by June,” it said.