By Lebone Rodah Mosima
The City of Johannesburg has warned Fleurhof hostel residents not to pay anyone for housing allocations after residents reported being asked for money by scammers claiming they could secure units at the Fleurhof Mega Housing Development.
The city’s MMC for Human Settlements, Councillor Mlungisi Mabaso, said his office had, over the past seven days, been “inundated with complaints, walk-ins and calls” from people who alleged they had paid money to be allocated housing in Fleurhof and had “subsequently fallen victim”.
“There is no allocation in Fleurhof except the one carried out by the Department of Human Settlements. No other person or organisation has the authority to allocate units at the Fleurhof Development following the demolition of the old hostel,” Mabaso said in a statement.
“Other allocations, including Community Residential Unit (CRU) allocations, are administered solely by Human Settlements and not by political leadership, community structures or any other individuals,” he said.
Mabaso said any community member “who claims to have a list, influence, connections or authority that enables them to allocate housing at Fleurhof is a scammer and should be treated as such”. He said this also included any “individual or community leader who may have participated in engagements leading to the demolition of the hostel”.
Residents seeking verified information about Fleurhof and other housing developments in the region have been told to visit the Human Settlements offices at 222 Smit Street in Braamfontein.
“The City views the conduct of individuals who are misleading residents and exploiting vulnerable members of the community in an extremely serious light and we are ready to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” Mabaso said.
The city urged residents to remain vigilant and to obtain information only through official City of Johannesburg channels and the Department of Human Settlements.
The Fleurhof Mega Housing Project is a mixed-income residential development southwest of Johannesburg. The project spans multiple extensions and is a public-private partnership between the City of Johannesburg and Calgro M3 aimed at creating an integrated, sustainable community.
The project was originally planned for 6,000 units but has been expanded to more than 16,800 housing units on completion.
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