The Department of Human Settlements has warned the public about bogus housing notices circulated on social media in the name of the City of Johannesburg and the Gauteng Provincial government. The City department is distancing itself from these notices and is urging the public to remain vigilant and scrutinise all information they receive.
The fake notices are being issued in the name of former Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), Mlungisi Mabaso, who is no longer affiliated with the department. The current MMC for Human Settlements is Cllr Anthea Leitch.
“This is quite concerning as the immoral scammers are using the former MMC’s name as a weapon to scam desperate citizens who need homes. The use of Cllr Mabaso’s name is a clear indication that these scammers are clueless about developments within the City,” says Cllr Leitch.
The fraudulent notices claim to be from the Gauteng RDP allocation office, seeking people who applied for subsidised housing between 1999 and 2022. The scammers are requesting a list of documents to be delivered to 222 Smith Street Braamfontein.
MMC Leitch says this notice is fake and that the department does not use any form of WhatsApp or email to engage with residents regarding RDP applications.
“The post doing rounds on social media reads as follows: ‘The Housing Department is looking for people who applied for RDP houses in 1999-2022 period from Gauteng Province’. This is followed by a list of documents they want and request that these be delivered to 222 Smith Street Braamfontein. This is fake,” Cllr Leitch cautions.
The Department of Human Settlements currently deals with 1996/7 applications and has a backlog of nearly half a million RDP houses.
“We want to warn criminal syndicates that their time is up and they will be found and taken to court. A number of arrests have already been made,” the MMC warns.
The department urges members of the public seeking to inquire about its services and status on the housing waiting list to visit customer support centres in their regions or the head office of the allocations unit at 222 Smit Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
The official social media accounts of the Department of Human Settlements are Twitter: @CoJhousing, Facebook: City of Joburg Housing Department, and Instagram: coj_mmc_housing_.
“In the era of fake news, it is important to remain vigilant and follow only the official social media platforms of the City for information,” the MMC emphasises.
Written by Neo Goba
14/03/2023