Council summons director of housing over stands

suburb of Emhlangeni which should be paid within three days of being notified of the allocation.
Those allocated stands in Pumula South and Cowdray Park are required to pay $2 700 deposit again within three days of notification.
The set conditions have irked residents who are accusing council of being insensitive to the fact that most of the residents that are supposed to benefit from the housing stands are poor people and most of them earn very little while others are unemployed. The residents said the move by council was deliberately meant to deny them an opportunity to own houses.
Council used to ask for 35 percent of the price of the stand as deposit and those allocated stands were given up to three weeks to pay the deposit.
The balance was then paid over 18 months.
The council is now asking home seekers to pay more than half the price of the stand as deposit within three days which the residents are saying is not feasible given the majority of the applicants’ level of salaries.
Following the public outcry, Clr Moyo  demanded a report from council officials, explaining why home seekers were being asked to pay deposits within three days.
Clr Moyo said yesterday that council needed to be updated on what was happening.
He however said council was not witch-hunting and all it wanted was for Mr Magagula to explain how council came up with such stringent requirements that most home seekers cannot meet.
“We are still working on that issue. We will have to wait until the full council meeting when the director of housing and community services updates us on what is happening,” said Clr Moyo.
Clr Moyo however said council was committed to providing residents with affordable accommodation under favourable conditions and will therefore make a decision once it was briefed by Mr Magagula.