The Cape Town houses from which Cope MPs are refusing to move are being renovated, making it impossible for ANC MPs to move in, Cope's Dennis Bloem said on Tuesday.

Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge was aware the houses in question were being renovated, which meant ANC MPs could not move in anyway, Bloem said.

"How can he [Doidge] claim we are to blame if the houses are under renovations? I'm living in the house, my belongings are stored in one room, due to renovations."

Referring to the minister's statement that they refused to move to houses allocated to Cope, Bloem said: "I know nothing about Cope houses... all MPs live in a mixed village, there's no such thing as [political] party houses."

He said the matter would be settled in court.

Doidge said earlier on Tuesday that the two Congress of the People MPs, Bloem and Bishop Tolo, were refusing to move out of houses allocated to ANC MPs at the Pelican Park parliamentary village near Strandfontein.

"Legal notices were served on July 6 and on July 9 they opposed it. We are now heading to court."

The refusal by the two had resulted in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang not being able to move into their houses. The former was living in a hotel, the latter still at the ministerial house.

Bloem said: "It is not correct for... Geoff Doidge to blame myself and Bishop Tolo for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's accommodation problems, while 13 other MPs are housed in a hotel."

Doidge said Bloem and Tolo were accommodated in the houses allocated to the ANC before they changed parties ahead of the April elections.

The two were part of a group of six MPs who had asked for an extension on moving out of their current houses.

Doidge denied that Madikizela-Mandela was not happy about the house allocated to her.

"There is no indication from Ms Madikizela-Mandela that she is not happy... once a house is available she will move in," he said.

Responding to a Saturday Star report that the presidential house, King's House in KwaZulu-Natal, was being renovated at a "multi million rand" cost, he said: "The entire renovation will cost R46-million, it is not true that the fence alone costs R50-million."

He explained that the renovations taking place at King's House were part of similar maintenance projects at various state buildings across the country.

"Public works is mandated to manage the state immovable assets, including presidential estates... for that purpose it has been allocated R5.2-billion for the 2009/10 financial year to roll out a comprehensive building programme which comprises new project acquisitions, major refurbishment and maintenance," said Doidge.

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