Question NW2564 to the Minister of Human Settlements
22 September 2023 - NW2564
Makesini, Ms M to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
What (a) are the relevant details of the reasons for the delay by her department in the completion and expected occupancy date of the oThongathi Housing Project in KwaZulu-Natal and (b) the total portion of the budgeted amount that has been spent by her department as at the latest specified date?
Reply:
(a) According to the information received from the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements, construction could only commence when the households residing in informal structures within the project footprint could be relocated, to allow for development. The households were relocated to temporary units in January 2019. The civil contractor started on site in March 2019. However, the civil programme was impacted by various challenges. One landowner refused to leave the project site and this matter took several months to resolve. The Covid-19 pandemic and the supply chain management process to extend the contract of the civil contractor, also caused further delays on the project. The extension of the contract was eventually granted in June 2022.
It should be noted that top structure construction can generally only start once sites are serviced- The delays in the civil work, also impacted negatively on the start of the construction of the top structures. The top structure contractor commenced with a show block of 11 units, however, due to the delay in installation of services, the units could not be completed. The top structure contractor’s agreement then expired. The tender process for the appointment of a new top structure contractor is underway through the Municipal Supply Chain Process and is anticipated to be awarded by October 2023. The construction of the houses is planned to resume in December 2023.
(b) An amount of R14 093 242.81 (which equates to 22% of the budget) has been spent to date, the majority of which was spent on servicing the site.