Saleswoman giving home keys to new property owner. Close up of real estate agent hand giving house keys to indian man. Agent giving apartment key to new owner after putting the word sold on for sale sign outside the house.
A wave of real estate fraud has left a number of Ekurhuleni families destitute, stripped of their savings and their homes. What began as the promise of affordable property has ended in homelessness, broken livelihoods and children forced out of classrooms. Victims who sold houses or invested compensation payouts now find themselves renting cramped rooms, relying on relatives, or living in poverty after discovering the homes they paid for never existed.
The scandal, involving alleged fake lawyers and estate agents now facing court, exposes not only criminal deception but also the fragility of the housing market, where the dream of security can so easily collapse into despair. One of the victims, Cynthia Mgunyazi, from Tsakane, said she was left homeless after selling her four-roomed house in order to buy a smaller house after losing her job. “I sold my house for R200 000 and paid R150 000 for the smaller house.
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Since last December, we have been renting a place because the agent told us we would move into the new house after two months,” she said. Another victim, Thembi Kutumela, from Mayfield, Benoni, sold her house for R350 000, hoping to buy a new one nearby. She alleged the fraudsters – who later disappeared – kept on delaying the process of moving into the new house.
“I have been renting a place, but last month I ran out of funds, and the landlord kicked us out,” she said. “Now we are staying with relatives and family friends and this is affecting my children because they are still in primary school.
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