Housing scam complaints surge at Joburg’s Fleurhof Hostel

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