Tenants living in municipal housing in Tshwane say they are being urged to pay rent while grappling with ongoing service delivery problems in several housing projects across the metro.
The City recently appealed to residents in municipal flats, rental houses, hostels and high‑rise buildings to keep their accounts up to date, warning that unpaid rent affects maintenance and the sustainability of affordable housing.
MMC for Human Settlements, Mr Aaron Maluleka, said rental income is used to fund repairs, municipal services, security, cleaning and infrastructure upgrades within the City’s housing stock.
But tenants argue that many buildings continue to suffer from poor maintenance and unreliable services despite regular payments.
Residents report recurring water and electricity outages, delays in waste collection, unresolved leaks, and ageing infrastructure. Some say complaints often go unanswered.
“The biggest challenge is that management is often unresponsive when residents report problems,” said one tenant familiar with conditions in Tshwane housing projects.
Others raised concerns about rising utility costs and unexpected billing increases, with some fearing eviction over arrears.
In certain complexes, tenants say they face higher utility bills while living in buildings with unresolved maintenance issues.
Community discussions and previous media reports suggest that millions of rand in rental payments remain outstanding across some municipal housing entities, placing financial strain on housing programmes.
However, residents say accountability must work both ways.
“People want to pay for decent living conditions. But when services keep failing, frustration grows,” another resident said.
The City has encouraged tenants experiencing financial difficulties to approach the Human Settlements and Group Financial Services departments to arrange payment plans and avoid legal action. It has also confirmed that salary deductions are being implemented for municipal employees who are in arrears.
It remains unclear how much of the outstanding rental debt relates to non-payment versus billing disputes, and what measurable improvements tenants can expect in affected housing projects.
Attempts to get clarity on this matter were answered by the City at the time of publishing.
