Minister of Human Settlements Budget Speech & responses by DA

Minister of Human Settlements, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu gave her Budget Vote Speech on the 03 May 2016.

____________________________________________________

Chairperson

Honourable Members

All human achievements begin with the pursuance of an idea, a spark and at best, a dream. In our case, we, the African National Congress, it was in the course of our pursuit of the idea and dream of freedom that was embedded the protection of all the rights which were aimed at reclaiming our humanity. The struggle was a necessary price to pay if we were to defeat centuries old systems whose hallmarks were to demean, fragment, stratify, racialise and compartmentalise the human condition. The immediate challenge facing the ANC in government was how to create a new human consciousness – a consciousness that would be distinct to that which had been cemented over centuries by apartheid colonialism, to create a different fabric of society, a new identity – all the rights we enjoy today. All of these find expression in our struggle mandate. From a solid base, and innumerable delivery, our struggle continues. We claim no easy victories.

The struggle we talk about is one we lived, not one we heard or read about and decided to expropriate for opportunistic reasons. The rights that our people enjoy today, we have worked tirelessly for. None can take these away nor seek to erase their significance from the consciousness of our people.

As part of our contribution as Human Settlements, we moved with haste to restore the dignity of our people through the provision of shelter and engaged in the business of changing our human geography. What apartheid segregated, we are integrating at all levels of human existence – socially, culturally and economically. Our successes speak for themselves and they are internationally acknowledged. I repeat this at every opportunity so that we all internalise it: No other country in the world has achieved what the ANC government has achieved in the provision of shelter for its people. None! And we do it because that is what we promised our people, and because we are committed to our promises.

For those whose circumstances have not yet changed, we may not be there just yet, but to gauge our commitment - look at the previous condition of most of our societies and look at them now! We made that possible. We are as committed to you. We will change your conditions too. It is for this reason that today’s speech is dedicated to all those who still wait in hope. This government builds 1 003 houses every day. That means that every day 1 003 families move into new houses. You are in our sights. Change is within your grasp. To fast-track delivery, we have reviewed our policies and methods, so that you too can enjoy the comfort and security we fought for to give you.

Two weeks ago, the Deputy Minister and I celebrated the incredible feat of having delivered 4.3 million houses and subsidies that the ANC government has provided. We celebrated that we had delivered a world record to more than twenty million people. Put simply, twenty million people is more than a third of our country’s population. And we celebrated this in a city we have been building over the past ten years in Johannesburg, called Cosmo City. It is an amazing place. We built that city brick by brick, just one of many examples of what we are building all over the country. It is an example also of what is possible when the mind and the heart are aligned in pursuit of the best for our people. The model of Cosmo City is in the exhibition area outside the chamber. Please take time to see it and you are allowed to marvel as we continue building a new South African reality.

We are working with the same contractor on an integrated human settlement development at Midvaal, called Savanna City, which will consist of more than 18 000 BNG houses, 16 educational facilities, malls, clinics, crèches, churches, etc. This development will ensure that all the informal settlements in Orange Farm will be a thing of the past.

The first phase of the new city consists of 12 000 units, with mixed typologies that range from fully subsidised BNG houses to bonded houses and Rental units. A thriving city with all the elements that our policy determines constitute a human settlement, complete with twelve schools, three shopping malls, health facilities, police stations, a community centre with a hall, 43 parks and recreational areas, library, cemetery and several churches. Our model of the post-Apartheid city, reversing the legacy of segregation and exclusion. We have just promised them a stadium. Here in this city lives people who time forgot somewhere in Sgodiphoola in Soweto, and who are now fully fledged citizens, energetic, vibrant people, taking charge of their new lives. A changed people. From desperate and desolate to positive and participating. 

It is important that we need to keep reminding ourselves, lest we forget, that we have come a long way from an ugly past. The changes did not come about in themselves. We have put a great deal of effort into this and we are justly proud of what we have been able to achieve. We took what was the best of our ideas and called it “Breaking New Ground”. We have had ten years of experience in delivering this endogenous policy. Endogenous, in a sense that it was home grown – not inherited or borrowed from elsewhere. Those operating in this space confirm that it was nothing short of a breakthrough in thinking and development. This policy is now embedded in the National Development Plan and is consolidated into the new Human Settlements policy, which Honourable Members will find on your desks as a draft White Paper.

We have the passion, the space, the opportunity and energy to continue to be at the cutting edge of policy development and contribute to the rest of the developing world. We can claim without arrogance that we are leaders in this field, and are continuously challenging and pushing the frontiers of knowledge.

Last month we had the honour of hosting an International UN conference, in preparation for the Third UN Habitat Conference – a world conference that takes place every 20 years and which will now take place in Quito, Ecuador in October. We had 512 delegates from 54 different countries, and representatives of 54 governments, including 14 Ministers of Housing and we were given the opportunity to shape and influence the future of international human settlement discourse and subsequent policy and practice. The theme of the conference was “Urbanization and Informal Settlements”. This was our choice as host country. We chose it because that is our present and pressing challenge with many of our people still living in squalor in places such as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Philippi, Soweto, Orange Farm, Polokwane, Mahikeng, Tshwane, eMlazi and all whom we dedicate today. The conference grappled with the staggering figures presented.

We deliberated on the global implications and what to do about the fact that approximately one billion people in the world out of a world population of 7.4 billion people live in slums and that this is set to increase. That one out of every seven people in the world today, live in slums. This is the unfortunate story of humanity in the 21st century, that this should happen amid the rising wealth of only a few.

We were confronted with the reality that South Africa is among the fastest urbanising countries, with approximately 63.6% of its population in urban areas.  It is a phenomenon that is here to stay. Imagine the enormity of the problem. That makes for a very worrying situation. We need to urgently attend to this reality in our country. It is in our power collectively.

We welcomed the opportunity to host this conference, because this forced us to confront the questions around those that set the world’s agenda, and what role we should assume to influence it. Our choice of topic was deliberate, because our concern about the poor is not an accident. It is central to how we are socialized in our political formation. It is central to our ideology and our orientation: to be pro-poor and to be concerned about the most disadvantaged. We approach this not out of sympathy but an obligation borne out of our experience of the all-consuming disadvantage of cultural, spiritual, and material dislocation that apartheid bestowed on the majority of our people. It is a matter of commitment as it is also about solidarity. The choice of ourselves as host is also a mark of confidence that out of our experience we are in a better position to influence the global agenda. We are pleased to be counted among the countries that have made significant contributions to improving the lives of those living in informal settlements, and we will continue to do so.

In the recent StatsSA survey, released last month, it is confirmed that amid growing urbanisation, the percentage of people living in informal settlements has dropped from 17% in 2002 to 11% in 2014. That would technically mean that we are providing shelter faster than the rate of urbanisation, which is 2.4%. This is good news.

At all times we have been driven by the dire need of our people. We are concerned about the conditions of squalor that breeds all forms of social maladies such as crime, education deficit, health crises and the resultant poor quality of life. These are matters that are further exacerbated by the huge inequality gap. Inequality is not only a sad indictment on us, it is also an indicator of failure to grasp what it takes for society to move forward.

Having drawn from the lessons of the past, we have resolutely decided that, in order to speed up delivery, we have to change the way we do business. The first step is to create a new model of development that will unshackle the construction sector from the bureaucratic entanglement that has held it back. We need the industry to deliver faster. In this model, the partnership that we experimented on at Cosmo City is instructive. Here, government will provide the land and services, the banks will focus on providing funding, and so too will our housing bank. Contractors should focus on building houses. Our aim is to ensure that the private sector is stimulated to produce more. We want to unlock the full potential that exists outside government with a view of ensuring that government’s burden of providing houses is shared by those who can assist. We are introducing a framework that allows government to play its part while encouraging the market to participate as a full partner.

This system will also cut down on our entrepreneurs believing that they have to know someone in my department to engage in the construction business. You do not have to have any contacts. Here is an open invitation to all who have an interest and the necessary qualifications. Come build within our specifications and partnership. If you are an interested party, please come to our workshop on 9 May 2016 where we will plan how together we can build a nation. This is workable. We have done it on the N2 Gateway, Cosmo City, Savanna City and Fleurhof and we have had outstanding successes. The economic impact will be enormous. Currently the bid for our catalytic projects stands at R300 billion.

We have had our successes and we are very proud of this, but we have also learned with humility what we can do better. And here are some of the things we intend to do better.

1. Beneficiary lists

As I indicated last year, we were concerned about the inefficiencies in the waiting list process. We have now taken a policy decision to delink developers from the beneficiary list.  There is no reason why developers are required to manage community issues of reallocations and allocation of beneficiary list when this is an administrative issue. Developers are a contracting third party to build houses within the time frames stipulated in the contract. Nothing else. The beneficiary list will be centrally approved. We have worked on a model that will be rolled out soon.

In allocating subsidised housing we will be prioritising backyard dwellers whose concerns about queue jumping by urban new comers are legitimate. These are people who are law abiding and have stuck by the rules.

2. Catalytic Projects

I indicated last year that we were going to build en masse to meet the backlog. The catalytic projects programme is expected to produce integrated mixed use residential neighbourhoods in well located locations closer to places of economic opportunities and social amenities. These will be built on the same model as Cosmo City, Fleurhof and others.

We have approved 46 provincial government mega cities and I have invited all the successful private developers to an official announcement of catalytic projects on 9 May 2016. Because the model is to sell the units to government, we are hoping for better quality and quicker turn-around time.

3. Government Employee Housing Scheme

In 2006 we embarked on a novel idea of ensuring that we can provide housing for the public servants who fall in the gap market. We have been mulling over this idea and revived it both when I was the Minister for the Public Service and Administration and now at Human Settlements. Together with the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration, we are happy to announce that the Government Employee Housing Scheme is now a reality.

We will act as guarantors to the banks, in order for the banks to make bonds available to government employees, in order for them to buy and invest in property. What we commit to the banks, is to ensure that the monthly repayments will be deducted from the salaries and this will be done by the DPSA. Human Settlements will do the rest, which is ensuring the provision of affordable housing, ensuring the possibility of social housing stock to enter into a scheme of “rent-to-buy”. This will mean that the unfortunate gap market that fall between the affordable and unaffordable, whose bulk is employed by the state, will now be catered for by ourselves.

I am happy to announce that the Departments of Human Settlements and Public Service and Administration have agreed on the terms of an implementation protocol which should allow for the implementation of the GEHS institutional and funding model. We will establish GEHS Project Management Offices (PMO) in all provinces, which will focus on advisory and support functions to make funding for government employees affordable. In October 2015, the Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BASA to collaborate in addressing the affordable housing challenges in our country. This includes working together to develop proposals that promote sustainable human settlements in both urban and rural areas, increase and fast track the supply and delivery of affordable housing stock in well located land, as well as to increase the number of approved end user loans for affordable housing.

4. Military Veterans

We committed ourselves in the 2015 Budget Vote to urgently address the backlog of housing for military veterans and immediately declared the Military Veterans programme a Ministerial Priority Project managed by the National Department. We have been informed by the Department of Military Veterans that the housing backlog for military veterans is 4 909. Today I am very happy to announce that we have put aside 5 600 houses for military veterans, exceeding and clearing the backlog immediately. What we will embark on, starting tomorrow is the allocation of the houses, matching the database to the province and to the individual. Special arrangements have been made to ensure that we are able to allocate the houses in the shortest time possible.

Now that we have cleared the backlog, a heavy load has been lifted from my shoulders. I take this opportunity to apologise most profusely to this sector for the time it has taken this government to get to this point and I reiterate that none is more special to us than you who delivered us our freedom. As we move forward I hope we can make up for our tardiness in the past and that you will learn how much we appreciate your sacrifice.

5.   Northern Cape backlog

We have taken a decision as MinMec that we are going to target the Northern Cape to completely eradicate the backlog of houses. The backlog in the Northern Cape is 52 000 and it is possible for us to clear it within 2 years. I would like to be able to say within my tenure in this administration that there is a province that has no backlog and naturally therefore, no shacks.

Chairperson, now for our 2016 budget allocations. The Department budget is negatively affected over the MTEF period and was significantly reduced from a projected MTEF allocation of R105.7 billion to R101.8 billion, a reduction of R3.9 billion. This reduction affected both the operational allocation of the Department as well as the allocations of capital grants which would have a negative impact on the creation of housing opportunities.

The Human Settlements Development Grant was reduced by R1.6 billion, the Urban Settlements Development Grant was reduced by R807.3 million and the Restructuring Capital Grant allocated for rental and social housing was reduced by R1.1 billion. The allocation for the HSDG amounts to R18.3 billion. This grant, which aims to provide funding for the creation of sustainable and integrated human settlements was significantly cut by R1.6 billion.

The USDG has been allocated an amount of R10.8 billion.  This grant was also affected by a reduction of R807 million over the MTEF. The grant is aimed at supplementing the capital revenues of metropolitan municipalities in order to support the national human settlements development programmes focusing on poor households.

From the HSDG, R1 billion has been ring fenced in the 2016/17 financial year for the upgrading of informal settlements in the 22 mining towns. In the 2016 Grant Framework, an allowance has been made that at least 2% be used for programmes and projects for the implementation of innovative building technologies

As the state we cannot alone address the massive and complex challenges faced by our country in the human settlements arena.  The state and private sector and communities must commit to reach out and resolve that South Africans are adequately housed.  We call on all employers, large and small to assist their employees to find decent shelter. It is part of what they extract from the unit cost of labour. We intend to extend our social contract to include large employers in a formal agreement about how we can follow in this endeavour.

In terms of the MTSF target, the Department is expected to strengthen current mechanism to mobilise private sector to contribute to human settlements development. We have therefore developed the Employer Assisted Housing Strategy and the mechanism to track employer assisted housing in the public sector and in the private sector; including commitments as per the Mining Charter and we urge the employers to cooperate.

I intend to approach the churches as they, more than any other sector, have a calling to respond to the plight of the poor. Together with them we can provide for the most basic needs of our people. Their concern about the spiritual needs of their flock should also include their living conditions. If they answer in the affirmative, which I expect they will, I have an answer for them. We are available, willing and grateful for any partnership!

I appeal to each one of you listening today, if you have someone working for you, a cleaner or a gardener, please ask them where they live, because it is your responsibility to assist them to a better life. Sometimes the process is to enrol on a beneficiary list or check the progress of an application. This can be very onerous for some of our people. You can assist them with this.

We have been encouraged to see statistical evidence of the successes we have achieved by StatsSA and the South African Institute for Race Relations. When all is said and done, we have done exceptionally well. To borrow from the SA institute for Race Relations, “they can huff and they can puff, but they can’t blow these houses down”.

I have consistently been quoting statistics that have been provided to us from outside our own data for the simple reason that we want you to understand that this is not us exaggerating our own story. Here is the final non-partisan quote from renowned economist, Mr Mike Schussler. He predicted that “by the end of 2016, black ownership (as those previously disadvantaged) of South Africa’s primary residential market could be up to as much as 60%”.  And he concludes that it “has been a huge success story”.

The Deputy Minister and I would like to thank the Chairperson and members of the Portfolio Committee for their support. They are surely one of the busiest committees in parliament and have a permanently packed programme. A special thank you to the Chairperson for representing me at different fora in the run-up to the Habitat III conference.

I want to conclude with one of Bernard Shaw’s famous comments when he observed that “some people see things as they are, and ask why, and others dream of things as they never were, and ask why not”. We have now delivered 4.3 million houses and subsidies – and we are asking ourselves, what about 6 million? If all the role-players and policies come together, we should be able to deliver 6 million houses and subsidies by the end of the current administration. Let’s all ask ourselves, why not.

I thank you

_______________________________________________________________

Responses

 

The EFF is too extreme to be trusted to govern South Africa: Makashule Gana (DA) Shadow Minister of Human Settlements

The following speech was delivered by DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Makashule Gana MP, at Bakenberg Stadium in Mogalakwena, Limpopo this morning.

Fellow South Africans,

Fellow Democrats,

The beautiful people of Limpopo,

It is an honour to speak to you today.

Very few people know this, but Limpopo is actually the province I was born in.

I still consider it my home in many ways.

It is here in Limpopo that I went to school.

It was here in Limpopo that I learnt how to read. I had to walk many kilometres a day and cross a river to get to school so that I could learn.

It was because I was brought up here, that I am who I am.

And it is because I was brought up here that I realised, as the years passed, that we needed real change, not the smallanyana change our people continue to experience.

It was because of what I saw here, and continue to see here today, that I knew South Africa was not going in the right direction.

We are being led by leaders who steal from the poor to make themselves rich.

Leaders who took tenders that were meant to help our people, and instead used it to help themselves.

So, democrats, it was because of Limpopo that I looked for a party that would bring change. The only party that can move our country forward again.

Yes, democrats. The DA, my home, is the only party left who can do this.

This past week we have seen exactly why.

Julius Malema, and the Economic Freedom Fighters he leads, called for violence to be used to remove the ANC.

Collen Maine and the ANYCL has also called for violence to be used against the EFF in return.

Malema, like Collen, wants to use weapons that injure, and destroy and kill ordinary people.

He wants Nyala’s back in the streets, and people running for cover from stray bullets again.

He isn’t afraid that innocent South Africans may die in the process.

Because the truth is that Malema and the EFF do not care about the people. They stand up in Parliament and disrupt proceedings so they can put up a show, but when it comes down to it, the real Malema stands up.

This Malema is hungry for power. This Malema, will like the ANC, steal from the people all over again.

We shouldn’t be surprised, democrats.

In 2008, he said that the ANCYL would take up arms if the prosecution of Jacob Zuma continued. He wanted to help protect Zuma from having to answer for fraud and corruption.

This is the same man who dances in Parliament pretending like he wants to fight corruption.

O ka se mo tshepe! (They cannot be trusted)

We shouldn’t be surprised, democrats.

In 2009, he ridiculed the woman who accused Jacob Zuma of rape. This is something he should ashamed about. In a country where tens of thousands of women are raped, he made fun saying “in the morning she requested breakfast and taxi money.”

A tshepagali, o ka se ba tshepe! (They cannot be trusted)

Don’t be surprised, democrats, because it didn’t stop there. In 2010, he said that the voters and NOT the judges should decide on Jacob Zuma’s innocence on the corruption charges against him.

This is the same man who stood, without a hint of irony, outside the Constitutional Court saying that he likes the Constitution and Moegeng Moegeng.

O ka se mo tshepe! (They cannot be trusted)

This is a man and a party that wants white people and black people to hate each other.

This is a man who criticizes the father of our nation, Nelson Mandela, for bringing about reconciliation.

A man who doesn’t like uTata Madiba!

O ka se mo tshepe! (They cannot be trusted)

Unlike him, the DA is fully committed behind the reconciliation efforts of all South Africans. Because we South Africa to succeed, in all its diversity.

Democrats,

Malema and the EFF doesn’t care about you and me and the 8.2 million unemployed. He cares only about the money he can make when he is back in power.

That’s what he and his former comrades in the ANC did when he was in power; stealing the money from the people.

Don’t be surprised when we say these things.

Because that is exactly what he did when he was linked to people in power.

In 2011, the City Press reported that a secret family trust of which Malema was the sole trustee existed. This allowed him to have mansions in Sandton, while tenders the companies he was linked to build bridges that collapsed.

Literally, collapsed.

Three of several bridges built by Malema’s company right here in Limpopo were washed away within weeks of their completion.

Democrats, those bridges were meant to be for you. To help the economy and create jobs. But they collapsed because a dodgy man did a dodgy deal so he could make a quick buck.

O ka se mo tshepe! (They cannot be trusted)

We must never forget what some in the EFF did when they were in the ANC. This bridge symbolizes the EFF that will govern if you vote for them. They will build bridges and roads that benefit a connected few. You cannot trust them.

They are no different from the ANC. They learnt it from the ANC. And now they want to govern again, so they can do it again.

But like their bridges, the EFF will be washed away too. Because the people of South Africa, of Limpopo, of Mogalakwena, want CHANGE and not more of the same.

They want to trust a government that will create jobs, deliver better services and stop corruption.

They want a party that will govern in a way that helps the people, not causes violence, hurt and pain.

Democrats,

The EFF, like the ANC they hate, cannot be trusted to govern and move our country forward again!

Vote DA on 3rd August.

Viva DA!

Beneficiaries of land can only dream of future of opportunities: Robertson Ken (DA)

We must agree that the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Land Reform must work hand in hand so as to better assist with restitution, and to emphasise the importance of their collegiality, I will read the following anonymously written quote:

“At least once in your life you will need a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher and a policeman, but three times a day, every day, you will need a farmer.”

Sadly, millions of South Africans grow increasingly used to only one meal per day.

It is simple: For committees to understand the plight of beneficiaries of land restitution, but to create a mentorship-driven environment that actually uproots the foundations of poverty and oppression seems a far cry.

The success rate of emerging farmers is dismal. And while claims for land in both private and public sectors are dealt with, government departments mandated with researching the claims drag their feet. University students and private business entities have of late been recruited to assist with researching such claims, because mismanagement and a lack of departmental capacity have created massive backlogs in land redistribution.

While the fiscus and the tax payer continue to fund the inefficient implementation of the current land reform policy, departments on the ground fail the beneficiaries of already restituted land. Beneficiaries are no closer to living out the dream of wealth through democracy than from the start of democracy. But, research indicates that through land reform, South Africans have benefitted from land restitution, but it does not indicate how it is that they have benefitted.

If by benefitted it is meant that land has been redistributed, however slowly we can say yes, bearing in mind that if a claim was lodged before 1998 and the claimant was 50 years old, he is now 68 years old and no closer to obtaining dignity through wealth. If by benefitted it is meant that beneficiaries are capable of living sustainably without being totally dependent on the state and that have been introduced to the opportunities offered by a free market economy.

Then we must say no.

Amidst a failing economy and joblessness and due to the total lack of mentorship from government, poor implementation of CPA constitutions and a lack of departmental administrative commitment, the actual beneficiaries of the land are once again without the opportunity to choose their futures, but can only dream of them.

Individual land ownership with support, is a solid foundation from which we can give historically poor South Africans a start to economic transformation. For every South African to succeed, they must be given the opportunity to own their own piece of South Africa, with their own title deeds as their dignity and futures depends on it.

I thank you.

ANC Government holding up land identification and acquisition: Tandeka Gqada (DA) Shadow Deputy Minister of Human Settlements

The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by the DA’s Shadow Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Tandeka Gqaba MP during the budget vote debate on Human Settlements.

Minister, with regards to your promise of delivering 1.5mil housing opportunities during your term of office. I will today focus on the Informal Settlements upgrading Plan. According to this plan Minister you promised to upgrade 2200 informal settlements and 750 000 households (which is a half of 1.5mil housing opportunities) households would be provided with basic services.  The department also identified 444 informal settlements plans to be developed. Currently, the Department has planned to conduct feasibility studies in 500 informal settlements; 9 human settlements upgrading plans developed; 175 000 households upgraded into phase 2.

I must stress our disappointment Minister that most of the ANC led municipalities did not have a plan for the upgrade of informal settlements. It became clear Minister that some of the municipalities do not take your call seriously.

Minister as the DA we would like to express our concerns on issues related to lack of bulk infrastructure in Dark City, Zithobeni, Kliptown Informal Settlement and parts of Mamelodi and whether there were plans to deal with this.  Projects were said to fail due to the absence of bulk infrastructure, it was not clear Minister why that is the case, the Committee requested that this issue be unpacked for better understanding.

We would like to know Minister, which informal settlements were to be cleared or upgraded and what were the plans for the area called Setswehla informal settlement. The issue of Slovo Park informal settlement  though is subjudice but it seems there are no clear plans on how to deal with the court judgment which ordered both the City of Johannesburg and the Province to upgrade the informal settlement.

Minister, the City of Cape Town has done a study to assess all the Informal settlements across the Metro and has come up with a detailed report on the informal settlements that are upgradeable and those not upgradeable, the challenge facing the City of Cape Town is the land that the National department needs to release. The following pieces of land Minister the City is waiting for National Department to release but unfortunately the National Department is not willing to engage:

• Wingfield
• Youngsfield
• ERF 1117 on N7
• Bokaap

Land identification and acquisition are Strategic Plan Priorities in line with the MTSF. It is concerning that there is no budgeting for land identification and acquisition in most municipalities. In other municipalities, this function falls in another department Human Settlement has no control over.  This poor planning has severe implications in terms of service delivery.

The Committee was concerned about the role of the Housing Development Agency in the identification of suitably – located land for human settlements. This was because some provinces were struggling to identify and acquire land owned by other sister Departments such as Public Works and Defence. I am asking you, Minister to intervene with your counterparts to accelerate service delivery. I must commend, though, the work done by HDA in other provinces to assist in terms of accelerating housing delivery.

Minister, the issue of Title Deeds is still a serious issue. According to the Department  plans, 900 000 title deeds backlog still to be eradicated. The issue of title deeds, especially in KZN, was raised as a matter of concern as the targets were not to reflecting the existing backlog. This was an indication that the issue was not a priority for both the metro and the province.  It became clear Minister that this important task is not taken seriously by other Municipalities. I would like to commend the City of Cape Town and the WC Provincial government for excelling in this area. It is important to note that the according to the report from National Department of Human Settlements, the City of Cape Town is leading in terms of title deed eradication because where the DA governs, it governs well.

ANC Government housing promises nothing but lies: Makashule Gana (DA) Deputy Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance | Shadow Minister of Human Settlements

 

The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by the DA’s Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Makashule Gana MP during the budget vote debate on Human Settlements.

Chairperson,

Members of Parliament,

Fellow South Africans,

It is said that you judge a person by what they do and not what they say they will do. In my language we say Mintirho ya Vulavula. So when one assesses the budget of the department and the promises that the minister has just made today, one needs to check what has been delivered from the promises made in the last two years.

Since your return to the ministry you have made a lot of promises that unfortunately have not been met by any serious action. In July of 2014 you promised to have a credible Housing Demand database that would help municipalities in the allocation of State subsidized houses. You had promised that it would be done within 12 months. It is now 2 years, we still do not have a credible database that can be trusted by everyone.

Minister, if we had a credible database the current housing situation in Marikana would not have escalated to the level it has. The list of intended beneficiaries would have been known and there would not have been an illegal occupation of houses.

Had the list been known, the rental units in Marikana Extension 2 would be occupied by now. We would not be hearing talks of possibly sending the army to Marikana to evict people.

Hopefully you will make an unequivocal statement today that No Member of the army will be sent to Marikana to deal with a Human Settlements problem that was created by your department.

In my budget in 2014 I made the plea that beneficiaries of BNG houses must be identified and be involved in the construction process.

You seemed to have agreed with me on this point last year when you said “…for far too long we have treated benefitting communities and individuals as if they are physically incapacitated.” I expected a change in approach, however things have remained as they were before this statement was uttered.

Beneficiaries only become aware that they have benefitted after a house has been completed, they continue to have no say whatsoever in the construction of their asset. We continue to treat our people as passive recipients of government services. This has to change, Minister.

Minister, you might recall that we agreed and supported your call to apply brakes when it comes to the rectification programme. We agreed that the developers should rectify their shoddy workmanship and that going forward there should be no rectification of BNG houses as NHBRC is now fully involved.

However Minister, we continue to see provinces like the Free State and Northern Cape spending astronomical amounts, some as high as R700 000  to repair a single house.

I believe the time has come to properly do an audit of real houses that needs to be rectified and put a stop to it. The rectification programme seems to be a way to steal money from the poor, a house that cost R160 000 to build cannot have repairs that costs R700 000.

One matter that I keep raising and nothing seems to be changing is the Hostel upgrades programme. It would seem that the department refuses to learn from its past mistakes, especially the Soweto hostels. We are now approaching 10 years, the units are still unoccupied. Minister after minister, MEC after MEC has promised that the matter will be resolved, but it is just empty promises. Ku fikele rini holobye? What must happen for the matter to be resolved? Sethokga Hostel in Tembisa has joined the queue of completed and unoccupied units.

The living conditions in hostels are undesirable. I believe the time has come for the department to do away with the Community Residential Unit (CRU) programme for Hostels’ Upgrade and include residents of hostels in BNG houses and Social Housing stream. We also need to review the qualifying income band for BNG house, Social Housing and Institutional subsidy.

Last year you encouraged BNG/RDP housing beneficiaries to sell their house back to government if they wish to sell their house within 8 years.

This was to curb the illegal sale of RDP houses at low prices, I remember you quoted a figure of R10 000.

I looked through the department budget to see if there are any funds allocated to buy RDP houses from previous beneficiaries, there is no such provision, NOTHING, ZERO. So where will the money to buy back the houses come from? I guess it was one of your many empty promises.

It’s time you realize that the 8 years waiting period is actually the cause for the resale of RDP houses at low price. Remove the restriction, and you will see the market prosper. You don’t even have to regulate it.

It is interesting to see the department pulling all stops to assist the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality now that you stand to lose the municipality in August. Funds are being channelled to Nelson Mandela Bay from Gauteng and Limpopo to help you stay in power. Unfortunately for you and the ANC it is too late, the voters of Nelson Mandela Bay have had it with you, on the 3rd of August they will vote for Change, A change that delivers real housing opportunities for all the people.

This budget and your speech are just empty promises. You have failed to act.

Fellow South Africans, Change starts on the 3rd of August by voting the ANC out of power in municipalities.