'Wheeling and Dealing' Widespread in Informal Settlements

People living illegally in informal settlements have gone to the extent of renting out rooms or extending their houses to accommodate tenants.

A Fiji Sun team visited seven of these informal settlements in the Suva-Nausori corridor yesterday.

These were the revelations:

Jittu Estate

A one-bedroom flat was being rented out for $200 a month. Water and electricity bills were excluded and the tenants were required to pay a bond of $100. The Raiwaqa settlement is a prime attraction for accommodation seekers because of its easy accessibility to Damodar City, the University of the South Pacific and Suva City.

However, this comes with disastrous consequences. Robbery and house break-ins are rife in this area. But the demand continues to surge within Jittu Estate for house rentals.

Jittu Estate in Raiwaqa, Suva. Photo: Simione Haravanua

Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission chief executive officer Joel Abraham said consumers renting or buying houses in informal settlements were deprived of any redress mechanism that they might have.

“The house is not built properly, the health checks might not have been done and if these houses are sold or rented, the occupier becomes an illegal resident and the consumer has no redress mechanism to seek any form of claim,” he said.

“Consumers have a right to be protected from products that are harmful to their life and health.

“We understand that people are in need of a house, but there are various mechanisms put up for low-cost housing options, as well as rural housing, provision of land, incentives put out for development of iTaukei land to increase the availability of land.”

Mr Abraham raised concerns that people in the urban and semi-urban areas were taking advantage of low-income families and other Government policies.

“They know Government is trying to locate squatters so they use it to convince their families to rent or buy homes in squatter settlements in the misconception that when the Government subdivides land, they will become entitled to the same piece of land,” he said.

“FCCC will take action against the perpetrators and we will definitely investigate and charge whoever is at fault.”

Edited by Epineri Vula

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