The Free State Department of Human Settlements has until the end of July to rectify the unlawful allocation of an RDP house handed over by President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Premier Sisi Ntombela in 2022. The property, awarded during the ANC’s Letsema campaign in Bloemfontein, is now at the center of a legal and political dispute.
Lerato Ntsaku, a mother of two, believed her family had finally secured a home when Ramaphosa presented her the keys. However, it later emerged that state resources were allegedly misused during the ANC campaign. A Public Protector investigation cleared Ramaphosa of breaching ethics codes, finding he was unaware the house was funded by the provincial government. Former Premier Ntombela, however, was found to have improperly used state resources.
The house’s legal ownership is further complicated—the original beneficiary died before taking possession, and her family, the Burgers, now claim the property. The department has ordered Ntsaku to vacate while attempting to relocate her within three months.
Ntsaku’s case highlights the blurred lines between party and state, leaving her displaced amid bureaucratic and political fallout. The department says it is working to resolve both families’ claims but acknowledges the emotional toll on Ntsaku, who has become an unintended casualty of the controversy.
