The City encourages residents to be cautious when approached about a housing opportunity and to be aware of scammers. This is especially important when residents are asked to pay to receive or to buy a subsidy housing opportunity.
The City will never ask residents to pay for a government-subsidised housing opportunity. Residents may report suspicious or illegal activity to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their investigation.
“We were recently made aware of an apparent scam involving our Maroela housing project in Kraaifontein,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Carl Pophaim.
“The current phase of the project, consisting of Breaking New Ground (BNG) homes, for those who earn up to R 3 500 a month, and the planned Gap units, for those who earn between R3 501 and R22 000 a month, are progressing well and expected to be completed in mid-2025, if all goes as planned.
“It is heartbreaking to hear that residents are being made promises of housing opportunities which cannot and will not be kept. There is only one way to receive a subsidy housing opportunity lawfully, and that is to qualify after registering on the Housing Needs Register. This is protected, updated and audited. This is necessary to prevent queue jumping and provide opportunities in a fair, ordered manner.
“There are a few red flags that residents can look out for when approached about a housing opportunity. It is important that residents are familiar with these and are able to protect themselves. These types of cases happen far too often and often impact the most desperate, vulnerable residents. If residents think they may have been the victim of a housing scam they are encouraged please to report it to the police and the City for investigation. We also encourage residents to update their details on the register to ensure the City can contact them when they do qualify for a housing opportunity.
Housing scams red flags to look out for:. Being asked to pay to register. An opportunity is advertised as an “RDP house”. Being asked to pay for a subsidised housing opportunity. If a BNG house has been built within the past eight years. If correspondence does not have a City letterhead
V Residents, visit this link to update your details on the Housing Needs Register: https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/HWL2012Online/
Anonymous tip-offs are welcomed to help the City protect its projects, and operations and residents are encouraged to call 0800 1100 77.
