The City of Cape Town urges residents to be aware of scammers and reminds residents that they do not need to pay for a housing opportunity. Residents may report suspicious or illegal activity to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their investigation.

The City is aware of a scammer that is impersonating the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi on social media platforms. The scammer is asking residents to pay for housing opportunities as well as to assist with housing related enquiries.

'The accounts have been created by scammers and we have reported the profiles to the social media platforms. We ask residents to please be aware of scammers pretending to work for the City and not fall victim to their attempts.

'Residents must remember that we will not ask them to pay for a housing opportunity and we will not ask residents to pay to register on the City's Housing Needs Register. If residents think that they might have been the victim of a housing scam, please report it to the South African Police Service for investigation,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

Remember:

Qualifying beneficiaries are registered on the Housing Needs Register at no cost to them. The Register, which is protected, updated and audited, is necessary to prevent queue-jumping. This is especially important given the very acute need for housing opportunities across the metro.

Residents are encouraged to visit this link to update their details on the Housing Needs Register: https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/HWL2012Online/

Anonymous tip offs are welcome:

Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 0800 1100 77.

Source: City Of Cape Town