Celani Sikhakhane
The long battle between the KZN Government and communities over abandoned properties of the erstwhile KwaZulu Government appears to finally be over. The Public Works Department says it plans to donate them to the community.
The KZN government has been locked in a bitter dispute with squatters for several years, who have been illegally occupying more than 200 properties, especially in ULundi.
This week, MEC for Public Works Jomo Sibiya told his officials that it’s high time for these properties to be donated to communities, after the government initially intended to auction them off privately.
“I have spoken out very strongly about government properties that are illegally occupied,” Sibiya said.
Most of the disused properties came to be inhabited by teachers and civil servants. Many allegedly squatted in the properties with the hope that the government was willing to offer them the chance to buy the property.
The current occupants of the properties say they haven’t been consulted on any plan to donate them to the community, and some now fear that they will be evicted if the plan goes ahead.
“No one has communicated with us with regard to this matter. All we know is that they have been denying our offers to buy these houses for a very long time,” said one occupant, who did not want to be named.
Some of the properties include what were then the official residences built for King Zwelithini, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, kwaZulu government ministers and HOD’s.
Those properties were left unused in 2004 after the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal was moved to Pietermaritzburg.
Several years ago, it was reported that the KZN government spent millions on monthly services for these abandoned properties.
While these properties sit abandoned, the provincial government reportedly spends millions of rands every year renting offices for different departments.
Sibiya said that as part of the provision of office accommodation for all government departments, Public Works currently pays 178 leases.
