Dear Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements,

I am the Director of Bantu Socio-Economic Development which is a Non Profit Company in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.

At Ward 36 there are about fourteen People who were approved for low cost Housing but were removed by Ward Cllr working with Officials from the Department of Human Settlement in the Buffalo City/Amathole Region. The reasons for their removal are not known to them.

We tried our best as NPC to assist them but all were in vain. Our NPC wrote to the Ward Cllr , Buffalo City Metropolitan Executive Mayor and Regional Director for the Department of Human Settlement. The latter said the Ward Cllr ( Bongiwe Sauli) know the reasons but still now they were never communicated to Beneficiaries since 2023. That project was expected to be completed in March 2024 without these Beneficiaries.

We request the Portfolio Committee to intervene and investigate the matter because it unfaily affects their human rights to housing

There are other matters related to contractors and employment of foreign nationals overlooking local labour.

Kind regards

Mzwandile Vaaiboom
Managing Director: Bantu Socio-economic Development NPC