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Cape Town - Minister of Human Settlements
Tokyo Sexwale has launched a national audit to get a grip on the "substantial" problem of housing beneficiaries illegally selling their properties.
In reply to a question in parliament, Sexwale announced that all anomalies would be referred to the Special Investigations Unit.
While Sexwale did not provide details on the kind of administrative and judicial measures in place to reverse the illegal sales that have already taken place, the Housing Act of 1997 prohibits any beneficiary of a government subsidised home from selling it within eight years of receiving it.
Nevertheless, Sexwale said it was a hard problem to prevent or police.
"I am aware of the fact that a substantial number of subsidy financed houses have been disposed of by their beneficiaries, notwithstanding the provisions of the Housing Act, 1997," Sexwale said.
"These sale agreements were concluded in terms of informal agreements and the properties were not formally transferred to the buyers through the Deeds Office. It is therefore not possible to detect these illegal sale transactions and to enforce the law."
In spite of the fact that government has built 2.3 million homes since 1994, the housing backlog now is 2.1 million compared to the 1.5 million in 1994. Beneficiaries who sell their homes soon after they receive them contribute to this problem.
- Fin24.com