Hundreds of families face eviction from “hijacked” social housing estate

Johan Swanepoel and his partner, Wilma De Villiers, outside their home at Sondela Village. Photos: Kimberly Mutandiro

• The Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) wants to evict more than 400 households from a failed social housing project in Daggafontein, Springs.
• The estate was built with government subsidies and was abandoned by the development company. The buildings were hijacked by people selling and renting out units, in contravention of social housing regulations.
• Electricity has been cut off since 2022, with more than R1-million owed to the municipality.
• Residents say they are willing to pay rent if electricity is restored, but the SHRA has been unable to guarantee this.

More than 400 households face eviction from a social housing estate built in 2018, after the company responsible for the estate abandoned the site, and some units were hijacked.

Let’s Care, a non-profit company, started building Sondela Village in Daggafontein, Springs, in 2018.

But in 2022, residents started to raise concerns about poor management and non-compliance. Then the electricity was disconnected by the municipality.

In 2023, Let’s Care owed the municipality R1-million. Thieves have since stripped the electricity infrastructure.

The Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) obtained a court order placing Let’s Care under administration. Let’s Care abandoned the site, and office files and keys went missing.

The property was “hijacked” by people who started subletting rooms unlawfully, according to SHRA’s regulation manager, Sithenjwa Dladla. Some units were even sold, despite a restrictive condition on the title deed prohibiting sales without SHRA’s consent.

The estate’s more than 400 units were built with grants from the SHRA of more than R115-million. A R34-million loan from Nedbank covered the remaining development costs.

Social housing is aimed at households earning between R1,850 and R22,000. 30% of the units at Sondlela Village were rented to households earning less than R5,000. Rental amounts were calculated as a third of household income.

A new company brought in by SHRA to manage the company was intimidated by the hijackers and forced to withdraw.

Sondela Village was built in 2018.

In September 2024, SHRA managed to secure the property and appointed a new managing agent, although “hijackers” were still operating in the building.

SHRA has attempted to regularise residents by writing off their rent arrears and offering them new leases. But only 22 out of 423 households agreed. The project cannot be viable unless all households are regularised, so in 2025, SHRA filed an application to evict the residents.

Residents are being represented in the eviction case by Taljaard Attorneys.

Community representative Lungile Zulu said many of the residents are willing to pay rent if their electricity is reconnected. However, SHRA has not been able to guarantee that electricity will be reconnected.

“We have vulnerable residents like pensioners, disabled and sick people, child-headed households, and people who cannot afford to pay rent elsewhere should they be evicted.”

Jessica Button, 16, is partially blind and suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a buildup of fluids and swelling in the head. Button’s family moved to Sondela Village in 2018. They felt lucky to be placed in government-subsidised housing. But for the past three years, they have had no electricity. Maria Button, Jessica’s mother, worries that if they get evicted, they may not be able to afford rent elsewhere.

Emerentia Forster, 67, has lived in a bachelor’s flat at Sondela Village since 2018. She says she is able and willing to pay her rent if the electricity is reconnected.

But some will be unable to pay their rent. Johan Swanepoel, who lives with his partner Wilma Devilliers, is ill and recently lost his job. He initially paid R2,500 a month. He said that the new management company told him to start paying R4,300 a month, which he cannot afford.

“We have stayed here for a long time, and they should not evict us. We do not have another place to go to,” he said.

Let’s Care could not be reached for comment. One of Let’s Care’s creditors obtained a court order to liquidate the company in 2025. SHRA has opened criminal cases against the directors of Let’s Care.

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