GEORGE NEWS - The beneficiaries of houses in the Metro Grounds housing development will have to wait a little longer before they are handed their keys as the occupation certificates are being finalised.

According to Simnikiwe Mbekushe, George Municipality's deputy director of human settlements, the municipality has not yet finalised all the processes for the beneficiary allocation and the issuing of occupation certificates for the remaining units at Metro Grounds.

"As a result, no beneficiaries can be allowed to occupy the houses at this stage, and a confirmed handover date cannot yet be provided. The approved beneficiaries will be informed once the processes have been concluded and the municipality is in a position to hand over the units," she said.

Mbekushe responded to the paper's media enquiry about a beneficiary who had applied for a housing opportunity in 2003 and was allocated a home at Metro Grounds last year. The beneficiary, who wishes to remain anonymous, and her family currently live in a shack on someone else's property. The house allocated to them is situated on the western side of Metro Grounds (across from the Metro store).

The beneficiary's employer said the beneficiary and her husband had been told to visit the Human Settlements Department earlier this year, where an official had informed the couple that the handover of their phase would take place in April. She wanted to know why this was taking so long, as the houses had been completed some months ago.

In her response, Mbekushe gave a layout of the allocation process for the remaining units at Metro Grounds. It entails the review of applications and selection of applicants who meet the criteria for a housing subsidy, and the processes carried out in terms of the Beneficiary Selection Policy. 

Once the applicants are approved, they are informed that their application has been successful. They are then allocated to a housing project and requested to visit the municipality to sign the transfer documents for their houses.

"This confirms that a beneficiary has been allocated a house and is now awaiting the handover thereof. Before houses can be handed over, occupation certificates must be issued. These certificates confirm that the houses are safe and meet the requirements of the National Building Regulations and Standards Act for habitation. This process is currently in progress, and building inspectors are conducting assessments and liaising with the contractor on matters relating to the individual units."

Deputy Director of Human Settlements, Simnikiwe Mbekushe. Photo: George Municipality

She said once the contractor has received the occupation certificates and the Human Settlements Department has concluded the beneficiary selection and allocation process, the approved beneficiaries will be notified of a handover date.

Mbekushe also responded to some questions about why some houses in the development have paved walkways and stoeps, while others do not.

She said the houses fitted with these features are specifically allocated to beneficiaries with special needs such as elderly persons and people living with disabilities.

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