R371m Thembisa housing project stalled as departments point fingers

Thousands of planned homes in Thembisa remain untouched after construction stopped and provincial and municipal housing departments each denied responsibility, The Citizen reports.

Project started in 2018 but halted in 2021

According to The Citizen, the R371 million project in Thembisa extension 25 comprising 3 500 housing units began in 2018 and construction halted in 2021.

Site left to decay

The Citizen reported that when its journalists visited the site recently, tall trees and long grass showed the area had not been maintained, and that almost all the housing blocks were vandalised, with windows broken and doors and window frames removed.

The same reporting said some parts of the buildings were constructed with asbestos, a material the government has announced should not be used because it endangers the lives of people nearby.

Departments dispute responsibility

The Citizen said the City of Ekurhuleni directed questions about when construction would resume to the provincial housing department. “The project you refer to, the Thembisa ext 25 housing project, falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Ekurhuleni and is not a project of the department,” Gauteng provincial housing department spokesperson Tahir Sema told The Citizen. He added that the department did not allocate or administer the budget for the project and advised that questions be directed to the City of Ekurhuleni.

The Citizen also noted that this finger‑pointing mirrors an earlier dispute this year over a derelict construction project in Vosloorus.

Residents and opposition demand answers

The Citizen quoted a Thembisa resident who asked not to be named, saying they had been promised a unit but that construction stopped without explanation. The resident said community attempts to occupy the empty units were prevented by security officers and that only three security officers were responsible for all the blocks.

ActionSA Gauteng spokesperson Mongezi Ntsebenzo told The Citizen the party had been pressing government for accountability, calling the situation “an example of government failure, poor planning and a complete lack of oversight.” He said over 3 000 intended units remained empty shell structures and that ActionSA had submitted formal questions in the Gauteng legislature and through its caucus in the City of Ekurhuleni.

Calls for audits and timelines

The Citizen reported that ActionSA is demanding transparency on what caused the project to stall, why contractual consequence management was not enforced sooner, and a forensic audit of the R371 million expenditure alongside a concrete timeline to unblock the development.

Previous commitments

According to The Citizen, in May Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said during a visit to the site with other officials, including Gauteng MEC for human settlements Tasneem Motara, that the project was expected to recommence by 1 July.

What’s clear

Based solely on reporting by The Citizen, the site is unfinished and deteriorating, key actors have pointed responsibility at one another, and community members and political parties are seeking clarity and action on the stalled R371 million project.