I applied for housing 20 years ago, but I'm no longer with the person I applied with, and I have since married someone else. How do I proceed?

The long answer

Thank you for your email asking how it works when you applied for an RDP house with one partner and have been on the waiting list for twenty years, but you are now
married to someone else and you are still waiting for a house. If you and your previous partner had got a house, after which you separated, neither of you would be granted another subsidy with a new partner because you can only ever get one RDP (or BNG – Breaking New Ground) house. Both your name and your ex-partner’s name would still be on the database from when you first applied for a house.

Depending on where you are, you would be listed on a Municipal Housing Demand Database or your province’s Housing Needs Register. But if you and your previous partner did not get an RDP / BNG house, your application for a house should still be active.
There are a few ways you can check your housing application status:
 On the Housing Subsidy System Online: https://www.hssonline.gov.za/. You
only need to enter your ID number.
 Send an SMS with your 13-digit ID number, followed by a space and your
surname, to 44108
 Call the Department of Human Settlements hotline on 0800 146 873
 Visit the housing office where you applied.

 Email info@dhs.gov.za
But you would need to update your marriage details with the municipality, so they can update your application. To update your marital details, you will need to take certified copies of your and your husband’s IDs and certified copies of your marriage certificate to the municipality. It is always better to go to the same municipal office where you made your original application, if possible.

Because each province works by its own rules, it may be that in some provinces, the municipality would say that you need to make a new application with your new partner – that is, start from scratch again. But after waiting for twenty years for a house, that would seem to be most unjust. In such a case, you could take your situation to the MEC for Human Settlements in your province. The MEC has the right to review decisions taken by the municipality and has the power to reverse any unfair decision taken by the municipality.

You could also ask the Housing Department in your province for advice:
Housing Enquiries Hotline: 0800 146 873
Mpumalanga: 013 766 6087
Gauteng: 011 355 4000
Western Cape: 079 769 1207 (Please Call Me)
Eastern Cape: 043 711 9901/2/3
KwaZulu Natal: 033 392 6400 or 033 336 5300
North West: 018 388 5403
Limpopo: 015 284 5000
Northern Cape: 053 830 9422
Free State: 051 405 3883

Wishing you the best,
Athalie