We reiterate our response as guided by our law, the Rental Act, which regulates rental between tenants and landlords and it says:

"In advertising a dwelling for purposes of leasing it, or in negotiating a lease with a prospective tenant, or during the term of a lease, a landlord may not unfairly discriminate against such prospective tenant or tenants, or the members of such tenant’s household or the bona fide visitors of such tenant, on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.”

Says Minister September: "I am happy to announce that I have fully agreed to offer our assistance, advice and support in rooting out discriminatory tendencies in the rental housing space.”

Government will continue to make use of the various pieces of legislation that are in place to guard against and protect citizens from any level of discrimination in the housing delivery chain and the Real Estate sector.

The Minister says government will resist any temptation that seeks to tolerate this practice twenty years into the country’s democracy.

"I have informed the MEC for human settlements in Free State who is entrusted with the responsibility to oversee the Rental Housing Tribunal establishment and practices within the provincial government and requested her to assist with the lodging of the complaint.”

Without pre-empting the outcome of the case, it is about time that government takes decisive steps to end practices of discrimination in rental housing. Without pre-empting the outcome of the case, it is about time that government takes decisive steps to end practices of discrimination in rental housing.

"We are calling on members of the public to exercise their democratic right by lodging complaints of any kind of discrimination in the Real Estate sector to the nearest provincial Rental Housing Tribunal as mentioned in the Act. Our Rental Housing Tribunals have achieved success throughout the country resolving many issues related to rental housing.

"The Rental Housing Tribunal services are free and they have a footprint in all provinces,” said September.

Issued by the Ministry of Human Settlements. For more information please contact Vusi Tshose on 0835815265.