Question NW1341 to the Minister of Human Settlements

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09 May 2022 - NW1341

Profile picture: Herron, Mr BN

Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

With regard to the apartheid era migrant labour hostels, what total number of (a) persons currently reside in (i) public, (ii) private and/or (iii) grey hostels and (b) hostel complexes (i) remain unrefurbished and/or (ii) are transformed into family units in each metropolitan area; (2) Whether any other hostels, not included in the above three categories, remain unrefurbished and/or untransformed; if not; what is the position in this regard; if, (a) how does her department intend to transform each of the specified hostels into family units and (b) by what date does she envisage each planned transformation will be completed?

Reply:

1. (a) (i) (ii) (iii) The hostel environment together with the nomadic nature of occupants have proven to be a difficult task for municipalities as managing agents to keep track of the number of persons occupying units. Illegal invasions together with sub-letting has exacerbated this problem to such an extent that most legal lease holders cannot be found. Provincial departments together with their respective municipalities are only responsible for government-owned rental accommodation and as such are not responsible for private rental accommodation or grey hostels (which include a component of private ownership).

(b)(i) (ii) The following table illustrates the hostels that have been transformed into family units as well as those which have not been refurbished in each metropolitan area:

Province

Metropolitan Area

Number of hostels not refurbished

Number of hostels transformed into family units

Gauteng

Ekurhuleni Metro

20

1

 

Johannesburg Metro

14

8

 

Tshwane Metro

3

2

Western Cape

City of Cape Town

5

1

KZN

eThekwini Metro

11

9

Free State

Mangaung Metro

No public hostels

Eastern Cape

Buffalo City Metro

No public hostels

 

Nelson Mandela Bay Metro

No public hostels

2. Hostels are grouped into three categories only, that is: public, private and grey hostels.

(a) The Department is only responsible for public sector hostels and is currently transforming hostels into family units using the Community Residential Units (CRU) programme. The programme provides grant funding to provinces and municipalities for the upgrading, conversion, or complete redevelopment of existing government owned rental stock, including hostels.

(b) Due to the vast size of hostels and limited budget, all hostel projects are undertaken in phases and planned over a span of 10 to 30 years, therefore it is very difficult to put the exact date for the completion of the transformation of the hostels into family units.

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