Gauteng has failed to improve essential services in Alex

Five years after releasing its report into the lack of essential services in Alexandra township, the office of the public protector has now turned to the Gauteng standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) for help in holding the executive accountable.

On Wednesday, the public protector’s office appeared before Scopa to provide a progress report on the various investigation reports on Alex that it has concluded over the years.

Vusimuzi Dlamini, the public protector’s Gauteng representative, told the committee that the human settlements department, the police and the metro police have failed to implement the recommended remedial actions.

It was noted during the investigation that significant strides have been made for the provision of housing for the community of Alexandra. However, there are still some challenges as identified by the community
— Vusimuzi Dlamini, the public protector’s Gauteng representative

The 2021 public protector’s report found that the allegations concerning the failure of the human settlements department and the City of Johannesburg to provide adequate housing in Alexandra were substantiated.

The report also found that their actions did not meet the constitutional obligations imposed on them.

“It was noted during the investigation that significant strides have been made for the provision of housing for the community of Alexandra. However, there are still some challenges as identified by the community,” Dlamini said during his presentation.

“In essence, the community stated that the provision of housing remains woefully inadequate.”

The public protector’s investigation also found that there was an illegal occupation of RDP houses and that there were also eviction and demolition court orders, which were not executed.

Dlamini said some residents were given RDP houses but do not yet have title deeds, while others alleged that some of the houses had been allocated to undocumented immigrants.

He said the department of human settlements, which was supposed to oversee the process, had not presented the public protector with a plan.

This was after the report also found that law enforcement in Alex by the police and the metro cops does not accord with the duties imposed on them by the constitution and the applicable laws.

There was illegal occupation of land and encroachment on pavements, which resulted in some residents even building their homes there.

There were also complaints about informal trading and illegal electricity connections.

Other lawlessness included illegal dumping of waste and an uncontrolled influx of undocumented immigrants.

However, to date, there has been no report from law enforcement to the office of the public protector on how they planned to deal with enforcing bylaws.

The public protector now wants Scopa to assist in holding the provincial government to account and to find out whether they had complied with the remedial actions.

The City of Johannesburg shared its plan with the public protector, outlining its schedule for waste removal as well as unblocking manholes and the fencing of a cemetery in the area.

The social development department also managed to repurpose an RDP house, which is now being used by residents when they need social services.

Speaking to the media after the presentation, the chairperson of the committee, John Moodey, said they would decide which resolutions would be taken to the legislature to hold the departments to account and “force them to comply”.

“The public protector’s sphere of authority does not [permit it] to do criminal investigations, hence a proposal has been made to the premier to request from the president an SIU [Special Investigating Unit] investigation into the Alexander renewal project.

“Concerning service delivery issues, as indicated by the public protector, when they are up and monitoring, they are seeing an improvement in regular removal of waste and others. Where things can be done, they have been done,” Moodey said.

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