Human Settlements
With regard to his Department’s Rental Turnaround Strategy:
(1) (a)(i) When and (ii) where was the decision taken to sell the Gatesville rental units and (b) what was the rationale behind the decision;
(2) (a) to whom will the units be sold and (b) what will be the selling price per unit;
(3) whether a copy of the minutes of the meeting or meetings where the decision was taken can be made available; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) whether there are any buyers who have been identified or who have submitted bids to buy the units; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what is the envisaged date on which the rental units will be sold;
(5) whether there are plans to hand over the units for free to the tenants currently occupying the rental units; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?
(1)(a)(i)(ii) On 31 August 2005 a meeting with the tenants was held at the Samaj Centre in Rylands where the then Premier of the Western Cape, Mr Ebrahim Rasool, the Minister of Housing at the time, Mr Richard Dyantyi as well as the Ward Councillor, Mr Saleem Mowzer, announced the scrapping of all arrears and the sale of the units to the tenants.
(b) The decision was taken in 2005 and it is not clear what was the rationale behind the decision except for the below newspaper article which reported that it was meant to be pilot following the requests from the community
