Former MPs refuse to leave their subsidised housing in parliamentary villages

The department responsible for Cape Town’s parliamentary villages has asked the State Attorney to institute legal action to evict former Members of Parliament (MPs) who are refusing to move out of their heavily subsidised accommodation, despite them no longer being in Parliament.

Three of the former MPs – France Bongani Mfiki, Garatwe Agnes Mogotsi and Nomado Grace Mgwebi – were appointed as MPs of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) on 25 June but removed by the party soon afterwards, on 7 August. All have been stripped of their party membership.

The fourth person is ANC MP Lawrence Edward McDonald, who was in Parliament from 22 May 2019 until 28 May 2024. A source with knowledge of what transpired told GroundUp that McDonald told the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) that he was receiving treatment for an illness and asked for more time to move out, but then failed to do so.

GroundUp was unable to contact McDonald and the three former MKP MPs for comment.

Similar problems arose after the 2019 General Election, when some former MPs refused to vacate their homes in the parliamentary villages. Some had to be forcibly removed almost two months after the 8 May election, the Sunday Times reported.

Parliament spent “at least” R1-million at the time, at a cost of R2,000 a night, for hotels for MPs who were waiting for the former MPs to vacate the houses they had been allocated.

With an entry-level salary of R1.27-million plus numerous perks, MPs are among the country’s top earners. MPs who are not returned to Parliament after an election receive a loss-of-office benefit equivalent to four months pensionable salary for every five-year term completed. This payment excludes their normal pension benefits.

There are three parliamentary villages: Acacia Park in Goodwood is the largest with 493 houses; Pelican Park, in Grassy Park, has 108 homes; and Laboria Park in Belhar, the smallest, has 65 houses.

It is not clear in which of the villages the four MPs are living.

The villages house MPs, sessional officials, support staff to disabled MPs, party political and parliamentary staff, and department officials performing standby duties who are not Cape Town residents.

The rental varies depending on the size of the residence, ranging from R182 to R207 a month, Lennox Mabaso, public works spokesperson, told GroundUp.

Some sources said the highest rental – a three-bedroom house – is R362.

There had been “no big increase in rentals” for several years, according to an MP who has lived in Acacia Park for several years.

The highly subsidised rental includes “basic furniture” and free electricity and water. MPs also receive a “settling allowance” when they move in to buy anything not included in the house, like kitchenware and linen. They also enjoy a free shuttle bus service to and from Parliament.

STATE ATTORNEY CALLED IN 

The issue of the recalcitrant MPs was raised recently with public works minister Dean Macpherson by DA MP Werner Horn, the National Assembly’s house chairperson for internal arrangements. In a 19 March letter to the minister, headed “Unlawful occupiers in parliamentary villages”, Horn said the issue had been raised at a meeting of the members support forum on 28 February 2025. A report on the recalcitrant MPs was tabled at the meeting.

The “housekeeping forum” meets quarterly to deal with matters affecting MPs in their personal issues, including housing.

After attempts to get the ex MPs to move failed, the public works department has now asked the State Attorney to take legal measures to evict them.

“The department has written to the former MPs indicating that they should vacate the parliamentary villages; however, to date, they have failed to do so,” Mabaso told GroundUp.

The department had also spoken to the relevant political parties which told it to “proceed with legal processes to have the former MPs evicted”, he said.

Mabaso said the department had handed over the matter to commence legal proceedings for eviction and the State Attorney was handling it.

MPs are allowed a month’s grace after losing office to make arrangements to move out of their parliamentary accommodation. Parliament pays for the removal of their belongings and vehicles to anywhere in South Africa.

WHY MK PARTY MPS REFUSE TO MOVE

A source with knowledge of what transpired and who asked not to be identified as they are not mandated to discuss it with the media, said the three former MK Party MPs claimed they will not move because “they are litigating with the party over their loss of office”.

The three MPs were fired along with 15 other MK Party MPs. Their replacement in Parliament by high-profile people led to accusations of cronyism. Among those who replaced them were Floyd Shivambu, who had defected from the EFF, corruption-accused former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, former GCIS (Government Communication and Information System) CEO and Jacob Zuma spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi, and former PRASA (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa ) CEO Lucky Montana.

Ten of the 18 fired MK Party MPs went to court to try to reverse their “orchestrated” expulsion. They argued that their resignations were fabricated to make way for their replacements and that the party’s leadership did not follow proper internal protocols. They filed an urgent application to prevent Parliament from swearing in their replacements until the court reached a decision. But Judge Kate Savage dismissed the matter with costs, ruling that the applicants had failed to show they had a prima facie right to be reinstated.

Savage said the MPs had been aware of their temporary status from the outset and had been informed that their positions would “be short-term”.

MK Party spokesperson Nhmamulo Ndhlela said it was the public works department’s responsibility not the party’s to ensure the MPs moved out. “The MK Party cannot discipline people who are not members of the party. It would be irrational.”

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri did not respond to a request for comment.

This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.