My sister-in-law was awarded an RDP house but it is being occupied by someone claiming to have bought it. What can she do?

The long answer

A number of questions arise: when was this RDP house actually awarded to your sister-in-law? If she had recently been informed that she had gotten a house, who could have sold it to this man? Are there title deeds? If so, in whose name are they? Where was the municipality in all this?

Perhaps she should start by asking the municipality these questions. She should keep a note of the dates, the person’s name, and what they said. If they are not helpful, she could complain to the provincial MEC of Housing and ask them to intervene. She would need to include certified copies of all the documents like her application, the paper from the municipality about the house, her ID and the erf number of the plot. Again she should keep a note of the date, the person’s name and what they said.

These are the telephone numbers of the provincial MECs of Housing:

Gauteng: 011 355 4000

Western Cape: 079 769 1207 (Please Call Me)

Eastern Cape: 043 711 9901/2/3

KwaZulu Natal: 033 392 6400 or 033 336 5300

North West: 018 388 5403

Limpopo: 015 284 5000

Northern Cape: 053 830 9422

Free State: 051 405 3883

Mpumalanga: 013 766 6087

If she is not helped by the MEC, she could ask Legal Aid to help her recover her house. These are the contact details:

• Legal Aid Advice Line (Toll-free): 0800 110 110

• Legal Aid Ethics Hotline: 0800 153 728

• Please-Call-Me number: 079 835 717

Wishing you the best,
Athalie