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Episode Title: RDP House Fraud
Broadcast Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2009 at 21h30
Channel: SABC2
Sarah Molokomme is a widow with children, an unemployed single parent, with hopes to find a house to call a home. Being without any income she can’t afford a home, so the only hope for her is an RDP house.
The government introduced the RDP project as an initiative to house people like Sarah. Aware of this project she approached her local ward councilor. He along with a housing official devised a plan to make quick cash out of her desperation.
Vusi Mduli the ward councilor in Tsakane told Sarah that she could buy an RDP house for R20 000 and referred her to Miriam at the Tsakane housing department. Excited by the prospect of getting a house for her children, Sarah rushed over to meet Miriam at the Tsakane housing department to confirm these seemingly wonderful preposition she was told. Miriam confirmed this to her and urged her to get the money that instant to avoid loosing this offer. Sarah rushed off to the bank and withdrew her life savings.
She rushed back to the Department of Housing in Tsakane, met with Miriam again and handed over the R20 000. The deal was made, entered on the system and sealed with the housing departments’ stamp. Sarah now held in her hand her life’s dream, the title deeds proudly waived high in her grasp.
“Give us two weeks to vacate the current occupants”, she was told. Two weeks past and her dream became a reality or so it seemed. Armed with her title deeds and her children in her arms, she gathers her furniture and off she trots to her new RDP house.
Upon arrival she finds a man occupying a house that she had bought. This man tells her that the house is his and produces his own title deeds that make him the rightful owner of the house. Sarah produced hers and discovered that they were exactly the same. They can’t both own one house. This is where Sarah’s troubles begin.