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Builders up in arms TEL: 058 3035411
WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2013
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Threatening to destroy RDP houses if they are not paid
} Tladi Moloi FUMING workers who built 50 RDP houses claim that they have not been paid for three months and now they want to destroy all the houses and sell other items on auction to get their money. The houses concerned were built in the Ditsheng section of Bohlokong, Bethlehem. About 50 people were employed for the construction of these houses. The angry workers said: “We will take the stuff and sell it on auction to get our money.” Teboho Tsotetsi (30), one of the house owners who has been celebrating the new houses, is now a worried man, along with many others. Tsotetsi said he was worried about what was going to happen as they were about to lose their house. He said the builders were serious about what they said they would do, because several meetings had taken place in his yard. He added that every time these people came to his place for a meeting, he thought they were coming to destroy the house. “Honestly, I feel threatened, but I have decided to cooporate in the belief that they will leave me alone. I understand their frustration – working for three months without getting a salary is bad, but I am concerned about how it is going to affect us,” he said. Tsotetsi said he was living with his younger sister and brother and added that they were using his social grant to survive. According to Tladi Mokoena (46), a concerned worker, they started working for Indumo Construction in November last year. He said they were paid for two months only and since January they have never received any cash. “We are fed up now because no one wants to come to our rescue. We had meetings with many people, including the owner of the company who
DEVASTATED: The worried Teboho Tsotetsi (left), who might lose his home, looking at the despondent workers who are threatening to destroy the RDP houses in Bohlokong, Bethlehem. Photo: Tladi Moloi promised to pay us, but until today he has not shown up,” he said. Mokoena said they were hired by a person known to them as Alex, but they found out later that he was subcontracted. “We have decided to pay ourselves by taking the material and selling the other stuff on auction,” he said. Puleng Seobi (37) said the contractor was taking them for a ride and warned that they would show him
that they were as wise as he was. “We feel for those who have already moved into those houses, but we have no option. They only have ten days from today and if they do not respond to our complaint, the show goes on.” Alex could not be reached for a comment as his cell phone has been on voice mail for a week. John Vuyani Jacobs, owner of Indumo Construction, acknowledges that his workers have not been paid
yet. “We submitted invoices to the Department of Human Settlements in January, but no payments have been made yet. “The confusion started as we are not the original contractor that was appointed to build the houses. There might be a problem with the paper work.” Mafeka Nhlapho, manager of Human Settlements of the Dihlabeng Municipality, said they were not
aware that despondent workers wanted to destroy the houses and added that they had met with him on a previous occasion. “The provincial government is responsible for the RDP houses and the previous time they complained, I gave them the right number to find out what the problem was. Apparently the government has not paid the contractor, that is why he could not pay them,” he said.