Total chaos and mayhem surround the existence of the Reahola housing complex in Welkom.
The complex is not officially owned or managed by anyone, and the residents live in limbo between Harmony, the Free State Department of Human Settlements (DHS) and the Matjhabeng Municipality.
This debacle has been ongoing since 2006, when individual title deeds were issued for the 209 units, but only five of the units were transferred to private owners.
The rest belong to the Reahola Housing Association, and this is where the problem lies.
Over the years there have been 118 directors, and this has added to the complexity and corruption around the management of the complex.
It seems there are currently three directors, all of them DHS officials. But neither the Matjhabeng nor DHS can establish who the complex belongs to, and it is situated on Harmony grounds.
The three officials/directors were all suspended, and one of them recently passed away.
Igor Scheurkogel, Matjhabeng ward councillor, says at a recent Section 80 portfolio meeting for Human Settlements, they resolved that Reahola should be declared as a sewage disaster area, but the Matjhabeng Mayoral Committee (Mayco) rejected this as Reahola is not the property of council.
“I met with DHS, who confirmed to me that the complex does not belong to them. This is yet another Harmony property where people live in limbo,” says Scheurkogel.
Reahola has a service account with Matjhabeng. Services have in the past been cut off because of non payment, yet residents do no have individual accounts, and they pay rent to landlords.
They do not have title deeds, and the units were “sold” to them by a person who claims he manages the complex.
Block B has been struggling with water and because there is no responsible body or person, the residents are left each to their own.
“Matjhabeng says because it is not their property they cannot work on it and as DHS denies ownership, residents are stranded in no-man’s land,” says Scheurkogel.
In 2018 a council resolution was taken that a site will be allocated in Seemeeu Park for residents of Reahola.
“This resolution has now again served before the portfolio committee. They want to raise unit prices. This was declined,” he says.
“Matjhabeng has in the past indicated that they want to demolish the complex, yet there is no plan for the relocation of the residents.
“How can Matjhabeng demolish a building that does not belong to them?”
