Human Settlements gazettes draft amendment to assist property owners with evictions
· Citizen
The Department of Human Settlements is attempting to strengthen the government’s ability to control property hijacking with a new piece of legislation.
Minister Thembi Simelane on Thursday announced the gazetting of draft amendments to the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Act.
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The draft amendments aim to redefine illegal occupation and lessen the timeframes that aggrieved property owners must endure when attempting to evict delinquent tenants.
The draft is not only designed to assist private property owners, but also to assist the state where government properties have been hijacked.
“This work will culminate in amendments that will strengthen the PIE Act, to ensure it is effective, easier to understand and simpler to enforce,” said Simelane.
Expedited mediation process
Hijacked properties, especially in metropolitan municipalities, have financially hampered private property owners and stalled social housing projects.
Recent raids by the Johannesburg municipality have uncovered large homes in plush suburbs subdivided by exploitive illegal hijackers.
These hijackers, referred to as syndicates by authorities, often take control of a property by exploiting the PIE Act.
Simelane was asked what power the amendments would have to prevent public and private property owners from falling prey to abusive property scam syndicates.
The minister was unable to provide a definitive answer, saying instead that the dispute and subsequent evictions would rely on an expedited mediation process.
“We hope that it would be able to reduce quite a number of the lengthy processes, but it will also give a right to an owner, that your property will be respected,” Simelane said.
Social housing backlog
Director-General of Human Settlements, Alec Moemi, addressed questions on the housing crisis that is often blamed for property hijackings.
The minister’s special advisor acknowledged a “significant drop in the delivery of houses”, which he attributed to the country’s fiscal position.
Moemi added that the government was looking at “different services or products for different categories of citizens” to be able to address the needs of vulnerable communities more quickly.
He added that the current financial climate and availability of land have led to a shift in deliverable objectives.
“The emphasis really is on prioritising the provision of serviced stands over full houses,” said Moemi.
Simelane said grants were available for housing waiting lists, with Moemi stating that there would also be a shift in funding models for housing projects, as well as the construction material used.
“We think this intervention will help us build faster, [which] will also help us build comparatively affordably to be able to accommodate more people,” Moemi concluded.