The Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, accompanied by Free State Premier, Mxolisi Dukwana, and MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Ketso Makume, is expected to hand over title deeds at Samson Sefuthi Hall in Botshabelo on Wednesday.

The community of Botshabelo in the newly established settlement, which they referred to as the N8 Park, previously claimed that they saw a Facebook post of the municipality threatening to demolish their homes. The visit of Kubayi, Dukwana, and Makume in the area once more raised concerns over issues of housing. 

Community leader and Chairperson of the Manguang Service Delivery Forum, Potso Motoko, raised issues of how residents are fed up with the backlog of RDP houses in Botshabelo and said residents who are now occupying a piece of land in Botshabelo West will not be moved until they are given an alternative land to occupy.

Government Service Fair underway at the Samson Sefuthi hall in Botshabelo, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State Province before the Title Deeds Handover and Community Engagement led by Minister Kubayi.#HousingTheNation #LeaveNoOneBehind pic.twitter.com/qVKgMXlXH2

— Department of Human Settlements (@The_DHS) August 1, 2023

“Our position as the MSDF on the visit of the minister and premier to Botshabelo is that they must come and answer on the issue of the backlog on RDP houses. We have people who have been waiting for more than ten years for their RDP houses. 

“They must also come and account to people who did not receive their residential sites for the past 20 years. So we are not going to allow the minister and the premier to come and bully our people here and demand them to be removed,” he said.

Motoko said if Koloi and Dukwana fail to deliver what the community demands, residents will have to take further action.

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