20 August 2007
The DA says it has discovered that R2.363bn has been spent on incomplete housing schemes. ‘There are many elements to this. We primarily suspect corruption and collusion between national Department of Housing officials and developers,’ said the DA’s Butch Steyn. According to a Sowetan report, he said the projects date as far back as September 1995 and up to September 2005. The figures reveal that millions have been squandered on incomplete projects in every province, except Gauteng. Topping the list is Limpopo with 193 projects at a cost of R1.684bn, followed by Eastern Cape with 64 blocked projects at a cost of R268.4m.Full Sowetan report
Fresh evidence of corruption has, meanwhile, been uncovered by the Scorpions in the allocation of housing at Winnie Mandela informal settlement on the East Rand, reports the Sowetan. President Mbeki has authorised the Scorpions to investigate allegations alluding to the irregular allocation of houses in Esselen Park, a development in which people from Winnie Mandela were to be settled.Full Sowetan report