{"id":7066,"date":"2026-06-13T04:54:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T04:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=7066"},"modified":"2026-06-13T04:54:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T04:54:46","slug":"hundreds-of-families-face-eviction-from-hijacked-daggafontein-social-housing-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=7066","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of families face eviction from \u2018hijacked\u2019 Daggafontein social housing estate"},"content":{"rendered":"

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More than 400 households face eviction from a social housing estate built in 2018, after the company responsible for the estate abandoned the site, and some units were hijacked.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Care, a non-profit company, started building Sondela Village in Daggafontein, Springs, in 2018. But in 2022, residents started to raise concerns about poor management and non-compliance. Then the electricity was disconnected by the municipality.<\/p>\n

Read:
ConCourt\u2019s Tafelberg judgment could change the future of social housing
Social housing in South Africa is in trouble \u2013 here\u2019s why<\/p>\n

In 2023, Let\u2019s Care owed the municipality R1 million. Thieves have since stripped the electricity infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) obtained a court order placing Let\u2019s Care under administration. Let\u2019s Care abandoned the site, and office files and keys went missing.<\/p>\n

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The property was \u2018hijacked\u2019 by people who started subletting rooms unlawfully, according to SHRA\u2019s regulation manager, Sithenjwa Dladla. Some units were even sold, despite a restrictive condition on the title deed prohibiting sales without SHRA\u2019s consent.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The estate\u2019s more than 400 units were built with grants from the SHRA of more than R115 million. A R34 million loan from Nedbank covered the remaining development costs.<\/p>\n

Social housing is aimed at households earning between R1 850 and R22 000. Thirty percent of the units at Sondela Village were rented to households earning less than R5 000. Rental amounts were calculated as a third of household income.<\/p>\n

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A new company brought in by SHRA to manage the company was intimidated by the hijackers and forced to withdraw.<\/p>\n

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Sondela Village was built in 2018. Image: Kimberly Mutandiro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In September 2024, SHRA managed to secure the property and appointed a new managing agent, although \u2018hijackers\u2019 were still operating in the building.<\/p>\n

SHRA has attempted to regularise residents by writing off their rent arrears and offering them new leases. But only 22 out of 423 households agreed. The project cannot be viable unless all households are regularised, so in 2025, SHRA filed an application to evict the residents.<\/p>\n

Residents are being represented in the eviction case by Taljaard Attorneys.<\/p>\n

Community representative Lungile Zulu said many of the residents are willing to pay rent if their electricity is reconnected. However, SHRA has not been able to guarantee that electricity will be reconnected.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have vulnerable residents like pensioners, disabled and sick people, child-headed households, and people who cannot afford to pay rent elsewhere should they be evicted.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jessica Button, 16, is partially blind and suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a buildup of fluids and swelling in the head.<\/p>\n

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Button\u2019s family moved to Sondela Village in 2018. They felt lucky to be placed in government-subsidised housing. But for the past three years, they have had no electricity. Maria Button, Jessica\u2019s mother, worries that if they get evicted, they may not be able to afford rent elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Emerentia Forster, 67, has lived in a bachelor\u2019s flat at Sondela Village since 2018. She says she is able and willing to pay her rent if the electricity is reconnected.<\/p>\n

Read: Court win for housing company that has faced intimidation campaign<\/p>\n

But some will be unable to pay their rent. Johan Swanepoel, who lives with his partner Wilma De Villiers, is ill and recently lost his job. He initially paid R2 500 a month. He said that the new management company told him to start paying R4 300 a month, which he cannot afford.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have stayed here for a long time, and they should not evict us. We do not have another place to go to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Care could not be reached for comment. One of Let\u2019s Care\u2019s creditors obtained a court order to liquidate the company in 2025. SHRA has opened criminal cases against the directors of Let\u2019s Care.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

#Hundreds #families #face #eviction #hijacked #Daggafontein #social #housing #estate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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