Question NW1011 to the Minister of Human Settlements
17 April 2023 - NW1011
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
Which measures has she taken in the past three years to ensure that (a) unfinished housing projects are completed timeously and (b) incomplete projects are not vandalised?
Reply:
a) I convened a Sector-wide Strategic Planning Session on 19 and 20 October 2021, where it was agreed among others that unblocking of incomplete projects will be amongst my apex priorities. The Department has commenced working in earnest with all relevant sector stakeholders to develop and implement a three-year programme to unblock all projects from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.
All Provincial Departments have put in place plans to activate all the blocked projects as agreed in the Diagnostic Report. A total of 320 projects will be unblocked in the 2023/2024 financial year followed by 299 projects in the 2024/2025 financial year, as contained in the Business Plans.
b) Human Settlements is a concurrent function. Provinces and Municipalities, as implementing agents, are tasked with the responsibility of planning, appointment of service providers, approval and allocation of beneficiaries and have the responsibility to make sure that human settlements projects are secured. It is responsibility of these spheres of government to make sure that housing projects are not vandalised and as a national department, we allocate funds for this on our grant funding.