RDP house nightmare ends in tragedy, Betty Moyeni dies waiting
STERKFONTEIN – The long and painful wait for a promised RDP house has ended in heartbreak for the Moyeni family in Sterkfontein Village, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) Ward 29, after 72-year-old Betty Moyeni passed away this month without ever seeing construction begin on her approved home.
Moyeni sadly died on 25 April 2026, still living in the same dilapidated mud structure she described in 2025 as a “ticking time bomb”.
Her death comes six months after the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) told this publication in October 2025 that she would be “prioritised” for construction.
Moyeni’s family confirmed her passing last week. They said she spent her final rainy season under the same leaking roof and crumbling walls she had begged officials to fix since her RDP house was first approved in 2021. Documents seen by this newspaper show the application dated back to 2018.
The family said they believed when COGHSTA make promises to build the house around November and December last year, adding that the deceased kept saying, ‘maybe before Christmas’. Christmas came, and then she was gone.
In October 2025, COGHSTA confirmed that the RDP house was approved and committed to this newspaper that Moyeni’s house would be prioritised.
At the time, the department cited “administrative issues” for the delay but promised movement by November 2025. That deadline passed with no activity on site.
“The contractor is currently on site, starting with the Moutse side, and will prioritize Ms Moyeni’s house construction. The contract is set to expire by the end of March 2026,” COGHSTA Spokesperson Tsakani Baloyi told the publication last year October.
Herbert Radingoana, PR Councillor in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) representing the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA), said Moyeni’s death was not an isolated case.
“The Spokesperson and the COGHSTA Department put false high hopes for this poor woman. Is a pity that the late woman was residing about seven houses from the home of the Ward Councillor but she was neglected,” said Radingwana.
He added: “It is so painful that a pensioner has to pass away waiting for the house which was approved since 2018. This is not the first elderly person to pass away waiting for approved house. Mme Makola from the same EMLM Ward 29 passed away in 2023 while waiting for her approved house,” informed Radingwana.
Radingwana stressed that he won’t sleep till someone takes accountability on the delay of construction of the house of the late old woman.
The Moyeni family is among hundreds of approved beneficiaries in Elias Motsoaledi Municipality who have yet to receive homes.
RDP construction in the area has been marred by delays and corruption allegations, with contractors previously accused of embezzling project funds.
The BPSA has renewed calls for an independent investigation into COGHSTA’s handling of housing allocations in the municipality, citing “corruption and maladministration”.
“We are not just statistics, we are human beings who deserve dignity and respect. Betty Moyeni died without it,” concluded Radingwana.
