Committee Reports on Oversight Visits and Fire/Flood Conference: discussion

Meeting report

Housing Portfolio Committee
10 August 2005
COMMITTEE REPORTS ON OVERSIGHT VISITS AND FIRE/FLOOD CONFERENCE: DISCUSSION

Chairperson: Ms Z Kota (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Committee Report on Studytour to Norway and the Netherlands
Committee Report on the Western Cape Visit
Committee Report on the Conference on the Challenges of Fire and Floods
[All shortly available at Committee Reports]

Summary
The Committee reviewed three reports and suggested minor technical amendments. The reports were on their studytour to Norway and the Netherlands, the report on the Conference on Challenges of Fire and Floods, and their report on the Western Cape Visit. The three reports were accepted as drafts, but full adoption was deferred until the next meeting to allow members to become familiar with the content.

Minutes

Norway and Netherlands studytour
A delegation of seven Members had undertaken a studytour to Norway and the Netherlands from 5 to 17 June 2005. They had gained insights into the policy basis for the social and co-operative housing approach in Norway and the Netherlands, and learned how international social and co-operative housing approaches could relate in the South African context.

Western Cape studytour
The Committee had visited the Western Cape on 25-26 January 2005, including the areas affected by the fire disaster in Joe Slovo, KwaLanga and Khayamnandi (Stellenbosch) settlements. Eight members of the Committee had been present to assess the relief needs of the fire -ffected areas and action proposals.

Approximately 675 structures had been destroyed by the fire. A piece of land had been set aside to accommodate the victims on a temporary basis. Relief grants of R500 per family and an emergency kit valued at R800 had been allocated to the victims. The cause of the fire was still unknown. The Municipal Manager had requested the Committee delegation to assist the municipality in addressing the housing backlog. The Municipality had requested R800 million for this purpose.

Discussion
Mr A Steyn (DA) requested numbering throughout the Western Cape Visit Report, and wanted a follow-up to the request for a sewing machine by one of the fire victims.

Ms Z Kota (ANC) noted that the Western Cape report mentioned nothing about economic development in Stellenbosch.

Mr Steyn requested clarification on the expiry date for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 1997. Ms Z Kota (ANC) responded that the Department had to be contacted to confirm the details of the Memorandum.

Mr G Schneemann (ANC) requested further time to assess the three reports. Ms Kota (ANC) deferred discussion of the reports until the meeting with the Social Housing Foundation (SHF) in order to give Members time to produce recommendations.

The meeting was adjourned.