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Hostel dwellers want flats to be refurbished
Once again, close to 2 000 flats built adjacent to the Dube Hostel in Soweto have come under the spotlight with the Human Settlements MMC in the City of Johannesburg, Mlungisi Mabaso, saying that almost R100-million of taxpayers’ money has been regrettably wasted.
The flats remain unoccupied and have now been vandalised and hostel dwellers are pleading with government to refurbish the units so they can move in, promising to adhere to every rule.
Mabaso says when the housing project was launched in 2009, their predecessor had promised to build the units as RDP housing, only to turn around later and say these units would be up for rental.
🚨 Abandoned Soweto Housing Project Becomes Drug Den and Crime Hotspot
An incomplete, roofless housing project near the Dube Hostel has become a haven for drug dealers, criminals, and illegal occupants.
#DA_GPL #Soweto #Dube @MervynCirotaRead more: pic.twitter.com/sTm1HwWC9I
— Democratic Alliance Gauteng Legislature (@DA_GPL) June 27, 2025
“They turned back on their word and when it was time for allocations, residents were questioned about affordability, which was a bit too late because their initial structures had already been demolished in order to make space for the new flats and they were initially promised RDP structures. When the residents said they cannot afford to pay rent the allocation process could not proceed and they vowed that no one will move into those flats which were left vacant for years and later vandalised beyond recognition.
Mabaso adds that there was no consequence management for the R100 million spent on these units that remain unoccupied.
“There was no enquiry or any investigation that I know of that was done or better a disciplinary process that took place on the matter. This is unfair considering that taxpayers’ money was wasted and residents demand their houses as committed by the government. We are back on the ground now trying to ensure that residents are given what they had been promised.”
He says plans to refurbish the units are underway.
Zanele Shabalala from Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal who has been staying at the nearby Dube hostel for thirty years with her two children says she will be able to pay for the units if they are allocated to them.
“We can pay now, we are committing ourselves because we now realise the importance of having decent places to stay. We have been living here for more than three decades and have submitted C forms applying for RDP houses, but funny enough, we have been captured on the Human settlements databases as owners of these houses.
The headman of the hostel, Induna uSokhela, says when they came back to Johannesburg after traveling home in December, they found the place in a mess.
“When we came back from the festive season, we realised that the criminals had invaded that flats and were looting. They removed doors and frames, roofing, stoves and toilets. Anything they could get their hands on, they took and as you can see now, the place is in tatters.”
VIDEO | Millions wasted on unoccupied Soweto hostel:
