The house that was never built

KNYSNA NEWS - In 2013, the Knysna Municipality implemented a housing project in Concordia, constructing three houses for members of one family.

A fourth house, allocated to Stephanie Anne Jantjies, was started but never completed. Contractors lay the concrete foundation and did not return to continue construction.

No explanation was provided to the family at the time.

Attempts to resolve the matter
Last year, Stephanie Jantjies' daughter, Lily-Grace Jantjies, approached the municipality to establish why the house was never completed.

Municipal officials visited the site and acknowledged the existence of the slab, but no further action followed.

Lily found documentation among her mother's papers indicating that the family had been instructed to collect a title deed from the Ethembeni Housing Office.

The deed was subsequently collected and confirms legal ownership of the property on which only the slab exists.

Lily then returned to the municipal offices with the title deed. Officials requested a copy of her father's identity document but could not provide a reason for the incomplete house.

According to Jantjies, officials stated that the existence of a title deed should correspond with a completed house.

However, despite the existence of the title deed - an official legal document signed off by an acting municipal manager at the time, Michele Gratz, and the conveyancer, Nandipa Bulabula - no house exists on the property.

The discrepancy raises questions about how a title deed reflecting a completed residential property could be issued when there is only a concrete slab, and what verification processes were followed before the document was authorised.

Inconsistent requirements
During a second visit, officials again requested her father's ID, despite the title deed indicating that her mother was unmarried. No explanation for the unfinished structure was provided.

At a third visit, the family was informed that a municipal official would contact them to arrange an inspection of the property and to assess the possibility of a temporary structure being erected to allow the family to live safely on the site.

A week later, the family is still waiting for a response.

Current living conditions
Stephanie Jantjies currently lives in an informal structure on the property. According to her daughter, the structure is unsafe, with rain seeping through the roof and walls, contributing to ongoing illness among occupants.

Consequently, Lily has moved her three sisters and brother into her two-bedroom home. Seven people are now sharing the house, while Jantjies is also pregnant.

Municipal officials, including the mayor at the time, Aubrey Tsengwa, inspected the site last year. Despite this, no progress has been made.

At the time of publication, the Knysna Municipality has not responded to queries on the matter.

The informal structure on the Concordia property where a concrete slab was poured in 2013. Despite a title deed confirming ownership, no formal house was ever completed.