Mogale City to probe how housing stands were illegally occupied

JOHANNESBURG -The Mogale City Local Municipality says people living illegally on municipal-owned stands will be offered first right of refusal when they go on sale.

In October, the municipality placed over 400 municipal-owned stands on auction.

However following public outcry, the municipality removed stands already occupied from the auction.

The municipality has several serviced stands it is not making money from.

These stands, mostly placed in townships, were supposed to create revenue for the municipality through rates and services.

Newly elected Mayor Lucky Sele said this has not been the case as they have been illegally occupied.

"The people who have been occupying the stands have been in constant communication with the department, they have been informed they are given first right of refusal.

"They are approached by the municipality, the municipality does evaluation, it says this stand according to us costs a certain figure, do you accept to purchase the stand? Do you accept to make an arrangement with the municipality?

"It is in our best interest seeing that you have settled with your family we give you a deed of transfer, but the only way to transfer an asset of a municipality is if it's bought."

Sele said that the municipality is probing to determine whether there was corruption in how the stands were illegally occupied.