By Everson Luhanga
- A 77-year-old Tembisa grandmother still lives in a cramped backyard room after waiting nearly 30 years for a promised government house.
- Gauteng’s housing waiting list exceeds 1.2 million people, while only 7,000 houses were delivered in the current financial year.
Koko Ncikiza is 77 and tired of waiting.
She applied for a government house in 1996. Nearly three decades later, she still lives in a tiny backroom in Tembisa.
The room offers little comfort or privacy. It is small and crowded. It does not give her the dignity she hoped for in her old age.
Across Gauteng, more than 1.2 million people are on the housing waiting list.
Many have grown old while waiting. Some have died without ever receiving a house.
Children have grown up in shacks and backyard rooms. For many families, this is the only life they know.
During his State of the Province Address, Premier Panyaza Lesufi said his administration delivered 7,000 houses in the current financial year. He said elderly residents and people who have waited the longest are being prioritised.
He set a target of building 8,644 houses in the new financial year.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng spokesperson for Human Settlements Evert Du Plessis said the numbers do not match the reality on the ground.
“While the premier speaks about thousands of houses delivered, the waiting list keeps growing. People who applied in 1996 are still waiting,” he said.
He said abandoned and incomplete housing projects stand empty while families struggle in overcrowded conditions.
“Residents are living in inhumane conditions while billions are lost to corruption and mismanagement. Money meant to build houses is not reaching the people who need it most,” he said.
The Democratic Alliance has called on Lesufi and Human Settlements MEC Tasneem Motara to speed up delivery and clear the backlog.
For Koko Ncikiza, the promise has not changed in 30 years.
Her house, she is told, is still coming.
Pictured above: Koko Ncikiza, 77, has been waiting for a government house since 1996 and still lives in a small backyard room in Tembisa.
Image source: Supplied
