Question NW3055 to the Minister of Human Settlements

Reply:

(a) (i) The current housing and human settlements policy framework makes provision for various roles that Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), can and do play within the human settlements value chain. This is evident in the role played by the sector in the implementation of the People’s Housing Process (PHP) programme. In various Provinces and Municipalities, NGOs and/or CBOs are participants in the housing delivery process either as support and/or as community resource organisations. The current grant framework for the Informal Settlements Upgrading Grant now also allows for NGOs and CBOs to form part of the implementing teams when an informal settlement is upgraded.

(ii) The NGOs and CBOs provide the necessary support to communities, provinces, and municipalities in various programmes, and this includes social facilitation. The policies allow for the conclusion of social compacts and partnership agreements to be concluded signed with the CSOs and NGOs, to allow for the sector to be part of the delivery of human settlements. Our various policy and legislative reviews also ensure that the sector is consulted and assists in the development and review of human settlements legislation and policies.

(b) The Department has constantly held consultations and engagements with the sector to ensure that they continue supporting Provinces and Municipalities in the implementation of human settlements programmes.

Based on various Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), Social Compacts and Partnership Agreements signed with the Sector in past years, a number of CSOs and NGOs continue to support provinces, municipalities and communities in the delivery of sustainable integrated human settlements.

Among the opportunities created by the Department for sector participation in the housing and human settlements delivery chain, and include:

• The sector has worked with the Department, Provinces and Municipalities to build the capacity and empowerment of communities, promote active citizenry, and provided support to these communities in Provinces/Municipalities that implement the PHP programme.
• Some of the CBO and NGO sector partners are involved in the enumeration and profiling of beneficiaries within settlements and the feedback assists Provinces in planning for the upgrading of informal settlements.
• The sector partners are also involved in re-blocking which entails that prior to a settlement being upgraded with infrastructure and services, the settlement is reordered in terms of an approved or draft layout plan. This also allows households to access emergency health services as well as collection and provision of interim municipal services.
• During the period of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, NGOs and CSOs supported the Department, Provinces, and Municipalities in the identification of informal settlements without water and sanitation and ensured that such settlements are provided with these basic services. The sector partners also supported provinces and municipalities in the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in informal settlements.

One of the outcomes of the 2022 Human Settlements Indaba, is that the Department will intensify and resuscitate quarterly engagement sessions with the sector to monitor and oversight various agreements and commitments made with regard to the sector involvement in the housing and human settlements delivery chain.