The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Human Settlements is taking housing services directly to communities through targeted outreach aimed at educating residents and protecting them from exploitation. A recent community engagement led by the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Human Settlements, Cllr Mlungisi Mabaso, focused on raising awareness about housing scams and helping residents understand official processes.

“Too many people are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals,” Cllr Mabaso warned. “These criminals rob residents of their hard-earned money by selling fake C-Forms or charging for false promises of queue jumping.”

A C-Form is an important registration document for RDP housing applications, but it does not guarantee a house. It only confirms that a person is registered on the official housing demand database. Mabaso noted that confusion often arises, particularly where children inherit applications from deceased parents and mistakenly believe the form secures a home.

The outreach, which included the Provincial Department of Human Settlements, Group Forensic and Investigation Services and Citizen Relationship and Urban Management, allowed residents to check their application status, update contact details and report suspected fraud.

“We need more of these events,” said resident Agnes Matsetse. “I updated my information and now have peace of mind that the Department has my correct details as I wait for my allocation.”

The City reiterated that government does not sell RDP houses, title deeds or beneficiary positions. Anyone asking for payment for these services is committing fraud. Residents are urged to report scams to protect themselves and their communities.

Written S’duduzo Dludla