Question NW3885 to the Minister of Human Settlements
20 December 2023 - NW3885
Makesini, Ms M to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
What (a) urgent steps have been taken regarding the beneficiaries who have been on the national housing list from the late 1990s and early 2000s and have to date not been allocated houses and (b) are the reasons that there have been so many delays in allocating housing to such beneficiaries?
Reply:
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Provincial Departments had their own waiting lists that were not digitised and were held in various offices.
a) Steps taken:
- The National Department has developed the National Housing Needs Register (NHNR) which is utilized at provincial and municipal level to enable citizens to register their need for adequate shelter.
- The Provincial Departments use the NHNR to identify potential beneficiaries to ensure that the allocation process is fair and transparent, and that queue jumping is eliminated.
- The identification process uses a prioritisation criterion for beneficiary selection to reserve the subsidised units for the most vulnerable. The priority cohort includes:
- Elderly beneficiaries (60 years and older).
- People living with medically certified disabilities.
- Beneficiaries who are on the National Housing Needs Register for the longest period (15 years and longer).
- Backyard dwellers (only for new/Greenfield projects).
- Approved Military Veterans.
b) Delays can be alluded to the following:
- There have been several budget cuts over the past years due to the shrinking fiscus which has led to the reduction of completed housing units, meaning that a lesser number of beneficiaries stand to benefit from the housing projects.
- In some cases, households move from one area to another, therefore when a project is completed, the initially registered households become untraceable.
- In some Municipalities, Councillors are still hesitant in the utilisation of the NHNR for allocation purposes- This is a matter that we are addressing through our Councillor Induction Training that is rolled out throughout the country and delivered by our Capacity Building Unit.
- Some people assume that after completing the NHNR, they have applied for an actual housing opportunity, whereas the application process begins with filling in the subsidy application form which is issued by the Province or Municipality when a project is going to be built close to your place of residence- In response to this challenge, we conduct consumer education in collaborate with Provinces and Municipalities.