Disgusting: Massive Housing Scam

From Sowetan.co.za:
By Vusi Ndlovu
19 September 2007

INVESTIGATION: Thousands of people are still homeless due to corrupt officials while some get shabbily constructed RDP houses like this one. Photo: MOHAU MOFOKENG

The Scorpions are investigating more than 30 000 civil servants for fraudulently receiving housing benefits. A team of a special investigations unit headed by Willie Hofmeyer, including Scorpions and housing officials, has identified 31 259 bureaucratsa (from a list of 53 555 government workers) believed to be involved in the massive housing scam.

The team examined whose names appear in a database of subsidised housing and found that 31 259 did not qualify.

NVDL: While the above is disgusting, I think the whole Housing Rollout needs to be re-thought. Obviously I don't expect government to consider this option, but developers in general ought to pursue the New Urbanist approach to the massive housing project underway.

What this involves is instead of converting shanty towns into endless one-house x one-house sprawl (monotonous and ugly), there should be a 3 storied approach, and an attempt to lock these developments into organic systems (streams etc), and an effort made to create friendlier, more attractive walkable communities.

Why not make these areas inhabitable, not the sort of places people want to get away from. Are they just dormitories, or will people want to live there?

The poor get poorer, but their poverity impoverishes us all. Those profiteering out of this do so also at the expense of plenty of entreneurs, not to mention the homeless masses.