Housing Rentals and Money lending – the backbone of the township economy is broke in Ikelemeng.

20/05 /2020
Ikemeleng Kroondal
Steven Ramokhula

Ikemeleng becoming a ghost town.

Over the years Ikemeleng community has relied on tenants and loan sharks as the main economical backbones of the community.

This unofficial businesses are now facing a very serious challenge as it looks like they are on the last stages of their lives. Already landlords and loans hackers are facing a great risk as many of their clients and tenants have lost their jobs.

One of the well-known loan shack has already complained that some of his clients are already gone since Samancor has retrenched them. They went with his money and he doesn’t know where their homes is. His money is gone. Landlords are now facing the sad reality as their rooms are empty and many took up loans at the banks to build those rooms with the hope that they will not feel the weight of paying back the bank as the rooms will repay.

Now the rooms are empty and they have to repay the bank. On the other hand, people from outside the country are not being paid UIF. They are unable to pay rent. The landlord has to accommodate them and pray that they be called to report for duty so they can pay their rental money.

Almost 70% of households in Ikemeleng have rooms for tenants. The question now remain. What are they going to do with those rooms? People have invested their money building the rooms. How can the government and the local municipality help in situations like this? Because Ikemeleng is not the last.