Gauteng Human Settlement MEC Lebohang Maile advised residents not to expropriate land that was not designated to them as that made it impossible for government to provide sufficient services to them.
On Thursday, Maile said the biggest challenge they were facing as Gauteng government was that everyone wanted to come to the province due to the effectiveness of government.
“While we are building houses and giving them to our people, the list also increases. (This is) because people could see that we are working as the provincial government.
“This is because when we give you houses, you don’t demolish your shacks but instead you call your relatives to come and stay there.
“I trust and hope all those who were living in those shacks will give me keys so that I can go and demolish the shacks. If we don’t do that, our people will continue living like paupers,” the MEC added.
Maile said in most cases, people who appropriated land ended up living in places that were not ideal.
He said despite criticism, the government was doing much to improve people’s lives, such as taking kids to school, building RDP houses and many more.
Maile further said the provincial government had also introduced Nasi’iSpani as part of the provincial government’s efforts to alleviate poverty and improving the lives of the people, because they were a “caring administration”.
“There are other people who don’t want houses, but they would rather rent; hence we have introduced a social housing scheme for them.
“And there are those who don’t want to either rent or have RDPs who want land, to be able to build houses for themselves. We, as the government, have made sure that we have land that is fully developed for them to (be able to) build their own houses,” he added.
Maile told scores of beneficiaries at Lufhereng, Soweto, that the government had taken an initiative to prioritise elderly citizens and provide them with decent houses.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Military Veterans, Thabang Makwetla, said he welcomed Maile’s commitment of wanting to prioritise elderly citizens in the province.
Makwetla said the MEC made him aware that there were older residents who had never owned a house in their entire lives. This was why he wanted to put them first on the list of those who would benefit.
The deputy minister said he appreciated that, because he was raised by his granny who made him who he was today.
“I wanted to be a doctor, because I wanted to give free health care to elderly citizens, but I was told that it was not possible; only government would be able to do such.
“That statement made me join the liberation movement, in order to make sure that my dream was realised,” Makwetla added.
The Star