Question Question:Minister of Housing to the Minister of Housing

Reply:

QUESTION NO.: 1444

Mr A C Steyn (DA) is to ask the Minister of Housing as follows:

(1) (a) What was the total cost to the State of consultants used by her

department in the (i) 2005-06; (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 financial years, (b) what are the names of the consultants used, (c) for what purpose were they used and (d) what was the reason for preferring to use consultants instead of hiring persons with the necessary skills?

(2) Whether any former employees of her department have been employed as consultants in the abovementioned financial years; if so (a) why and (b) why did each person leave her department?

Reply:

(1)(a)(i) The total cost to the State of consultants used by the department in the 2005-06 financial years amounted to R 16 597 564.46;

(ii) The total cost to the State of consultants used by the department in the 2006-07 financial years amounted to R21 495 726-96; and

(iii) The total cost to the State of consultants used by the department in the 2007-08 financial year amounted to R 29 464 653-47.

(b)(i) Consultants appointed in 2005-06:

Name of Consultant	Purpose of appointment
CSIR - Boutek	Conduct feasibility study into the development of a mechanism to support alternative technologies and indigenous knowledge systems in rural context.
Shikanda Event Management cc	To organize a National Housing research seminar for the Department of Housing.
Strategic Alter Management	Development of a detailed policy and implementation guidelines for housing assistances to Households affected by death of Guardians / Parents and the protection of Assets Financed by HSS .
V3 Consulting Engineers	Assist with the determining the capacity requirements for the National department of Housing as well as the Provincial Housing Departments.
Nkonki Incorporated	Development of a detailed policy and implementation manual on variation of subsidy amount to cater for extraordinary development. Conditions and the special housing requirements of categories beneficiaries.
Manto Management (Pty) Ltd	Validation of the housing waiting lists in the country, their development processes and the consolidation thereof.
KPMG Service	Development of a comprehensive monitoring evaluation and impact assessment system for the National Department of Housing.
Africon Engineering International	Development of a comprehensive monitoring evaluation and impact assessment system for the National Department of Housing.
Procurement Dynamics (Pty) Ltd	Investigation of the impact of client payment processes on small/ micro and medium contractors.
Nkonki Incorporated	Finalizing of registration process towards achieving a National Housing demand database in the Western Cape, City of Cape Town.

Consultants appointed in 2006/07:

Name of Consultant	Purpose of appointment
EDTECH Consulting	To Conduct Housing Consumer Education Train the Trainer as part of the Housing Consumer Education {HOE} – Rollout to Provinces and Municipalities.
T.L. Consulting	To Manage the implementation of the housing Consumer Education Programme.
Nomkhitha Gys ans & Associates Development Consultants	For finalizing the registration / confirmation process towards achieving a national housing demand database in the Western cape City of Cape Town.
Kago Local Government Consulting	Conduct Train-the-Trainer on Sanitation, Health and Hygiene Programme:
Richard Tomlinson	For converting the National Housing Code into new policy and implementation guidelines for sustainable housing development.
Khuthulani Cleaning Services	Rendering of cleaning services for one year.
Bergstan SA	Conduct a study into the State of Social Economic, Ethnic, Citizenry and Racial Integration in residential areas.
Focused Approach Management Urban Dynamics Gauteng Inc.	Appointment of a service provider: task directive for the first phase of a back office delivery turn around plan for the National Department of Housing.

Consultants appointed in 2007/08:

Name of Consultant	Purpose of appointment
Bergstan SA	To undertake a study into the State of Social Economic, Ethnic, Citizenry and Racial Integration in Resettlement Areas.
Tiso Coaching Services	To workshop Councilors in terms of the Home Loan and Mortgage Disclosure Act 2000 (Act No. 63 of 2000)
Development Works	Development of the Rollout Strategy for Housing Chapters of Integrated Development Plans
Oryx Media Products	Develop and implement a Communication Strategy to influence and raise awareness in the NS Gateway Project
Graham Paddock and Associates	Assist with the completion of the remaining work on Sectional Titles Management Bills and Community Schemes Ombud Service Bills.
Ashira Consulting	Do an investigation of insurance cover for subsidy house
Kayamandi Informatics (Pty) Ltd	To mediate between communities in conflict over housing development in Ekhuphumeleni in Phillipi in the Western Cape Province
Centre for Conflict Resolution	Conduct training on Housing Consumer Education and Housing Policy and Legislation for the N2 Gateway Project
T L Consulting	Undertake a benchmarking initiative on corporate policies of public agencies and develop a full suite of corporate policies for the Housing Development Agency Ltd in preparation for its eventual establishment and operation
I Selepe Consulting	Perform DOH Risk Management Services
Ernst & Young	Do an evaluation of the reporting on the advance tranch payments made to municipalities to implement approved projects linked to subsidies
Hlaniki Investment Holding and Wits Business School	Conduct training for elected Councilors
Dynamics Maserumule Incorporated	Assist with legal advisory services
Urban Dynamics	Appointment of a service provider: task directive for the first phase of a back office delivery turn around plan for the National Department of Housing.

(c) See above.

(d) The appointment of consultants was necessitated by the specialised nature of the specific assignments. These assignments required special expertise for a defined period. Such projects furthermore did not warrant the appointment of persons on a permanent basis on the structure of the Department as it would not have been cost effective.

2. No former employees of the department were employed as consultants during the financial years: 2005/ 06; 2006/07 and 2007/08.

QUESTION NUMBER 1520

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether she has been informed of a letter being distributed in the name of a certain person (details furnished); if so,

(2) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

Reply:

Please find the following statement that was issued by the MEC for Local Government and Housing: North West on 11 August 2008, responding to this matter.

"Confiscation of houses a hoax

11 August 2008

The North West Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing has dismissed the fraudulent declaration signed by a fictitious "Hon Richard Molefe" purportedly in his capacity as Minister for Local Government and Housing as a hoax.

The deceitful "declaration" dated 31 July 2008 is fraudulently written on the letterhead of the North West Provincial Legislature and circulated in Klerksdorp. It alleges that according to New Statue Law 34/217 of 2008, 5 000 houses and or townhouses to the value of between R1.2 million in Tlokwe, Matlosana and Rustenburg Local Municipalities are to be confiscated from white house owners and transferred to previously disadvantaged groups.

There is no Hon Richard Molefe in the North West Provincial Legislature, in the National Assembly, National Council, Council of Provinces and in other provincial legislatures throughout South Africa. The quoted Statue Law does not exist and the "declaration" is not even in the prescribed format or gazetted as required by law. The hoax is a dishonourable, mischievous product of desperate elements wishing to stir unnecessary anxiety, discontent and tension within the targeted communities.

In dismissing the circulated document as a hoax, the MEC for Developmental Local Government and Housing, Howard Yawa said. "The Department has no intention to confiscate any houses or townhouses or infringe on the rights of citizens to property. The hoax is a disingenuous farce that undermines our constitutional democracy."

The department urges any person with information as to the origin of the document or its distributors to report the matter to the police. Residents are also urged to be vigilant and demand identification from any person claiming to be an official executing the declaration and report the person to the police."

QUESTION NO. 824

WRITTEN REPLY

Mr A C Steyn, MP (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

Whether any economically sustainable communities have been developed over the past fourteen years through the RDP housing; if not, why not; if so (a) how many, (b) where are they located and (c) how was their sustainability measured.

Reply

The concept of economically sustainable communities was only adopted in relation to the Comprehensive Plan for the Establishment of Sustainable Human Settlements (Breaking New Ground) introduced in 2004 and therefore has no bearing on the RDP housing programmes.

QUESTION NO.: 563

Mr A C Steyn (DA), MP to ask the Minister of Housing:

(a) Which provinces made use of the Operational Expenditure Budget in support of the implementation of National and Provincial Housing Programmes,

(b) What amounts were disbursed against this facility in each province in the (i) 2006-07 and (ii ) 2007-08 financial years,

(c) What are the names of the consultants appointed,

(d) What was their total remuneration in each financial year,

(e) What are the details of the projects they were involved in, and

(f) What is the value received by the provincial department by their employment?

RESPONSE:

For 2006/07 financial year 5 provinces, namely Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape made use of the Operational Capital Budget. With respect to 2007/08 all provinces in exception of Limpopo have made use of Operational Capital Budget.

The amount disbursed by the provinces are as follows:

Provinces	06/07 Expenditure R'000	0 7/08 Expenditure R'000
Eastern Cape	21,246	29,746
Free State	7,628	17,676
Gauteng	-	46,944
Kwazulu Natal	-	535
Limpopo	-	-
Mpumalanga	4,349	14,496
Northern Cape	1,413	1,294
North West	-	19,092
Western Cape	11,552	3,626
Total	46,188	133,409

Question no: 564

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(a) How many Cuban technical advisors were involved in the co-operation programme between her department and Cuba's Ministry of Construction in the (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08 financial years, (b) which provinces were they employed in, (c) how many were employed in each province and (d) what are the details of the projects they were and are involved in in respect of (i) value, (ii) number of units and (iii) expected completion dates?

Reply:

(i) In 2006/07 fifty seven (57) Technical advisors were employed by provinces.

(ii) In 2007/ 08- fifty seven (57) Technical advisors were employed in provinces.

Cuban technical advisors were employed in provinces as follows:

Province	Number of Cuban advisors employed in provinces
Eastern Cape Mpumalanga Free State Limpopo Kwazulu Natal Western Cape North West	9 12 5 7 10 12 5

(d) (i) Cuban engineers and architects are recruited by provinces to provide technical support in housing projects implemented by provinces. It is a known fact that, currently the country is experiencing shortage of skills in almost all sectors. The construction industry is facing similar challenges more especially with the i nfrastructure investment by government and the looming big event like the 2010 World Cup the demand for skills remain high. Government is competing with the private sector for the limited skills available and with the incentives that the private sector offers, skilled people are easily lured to the private sector, and that leaves the public sector with the challenge to implement its programmes without adequate capacity. The challenge is even compounded/ increased by the fact that housing programmes are being implemented in rural areas where very few professionals are interested in providing their services. The Cuban technical advisors are recruited to address skills shortage and to fill the void where their services are mostly required especially in rural areas. Cuban advisors have provided invaluable service by imparting skills and knowledge to officials at provincial and municipal level, communities, NGO's and students who participated in housing projects as part of their experiential learning.

(ii) Cuban technical advisors were involved in projects as follows:

Province	NO of projects they were involved in	Houses/Units completed	Houses/ Units under construction
Eastern Cape	102	2208	37 952
Kwazulu Natal	24	1 760	1 300
North West	19	3 700	545
Nothern Cape	6	700	1000
Mpumalanga	27	2 532	2 967
Free State	24	1 760	1 300
Western Cape	20	847	779

(iii) The Cuban technical advisors are employed in the provinces for a fixed three year period. Due to the fact that housing projects are implemented in phases, in many instances when they enter or leave South Africa after their contracts have expired, projects are at various stages of development.

QUESTION No. 887

Mr E W Trent (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether there has been a comprehensive physical inspection of housing projects by the various Provincial Authorities and/or her department to quantify accurately the number of houses with building defects; if not; why not; if so, in each province (a) how many units require repair work and (b) what is the total estimated cost thereof;

(2) whether any contracts have been rewarded for the repair of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses; if so, in each province (a) how many contracts, (b) what is the total number of units involved and (c) what is the estimated cost thereof;

(3) Whether there has been a comprehensive survey in each province to establish the number of persons who have taken occupation of their RDP houses, but have not yet received the deed of transfer, if not, why not; if so, how many of these transfers have been outstanding for a period (a) less than three months, (b) between three to six months, (c) between six to twelve months and (d) longer than 12 months;

(4) Whether there is a plan in place to rectify the situation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply

(1) Yes, Provincial Housing Departments did initiate a process to determine the number of housing units with building defects. Various methodologies such as surveys and requests for beneficiary applications were utilised to determine the projects and number of units with defects that have to undergo rectification. The services of the NHBRC are utilised to ensure that the same contractor who initially built the units, is not appointed to do the rectification and that contractors appointed adhere to the necessary requirements.

In terms of the information received from the Provincial Housing Departments, the Rectification Programme has been implemented in all nine provinces. Detail of the status quo in each Province is set out in the table below:

Province	Number of units	Total estimated costs - R' million	Status
Eastern Cape	19 953	99,7	Currently 150 units are at various stages of completion.
Free State	-	-	In a process of appointing a service provider to do a survey to identify the number of units to be rectified.
Gauteng	3 440	N/A	Rectification process in progress
KwaZulu-Natal	839	N/A	Rectification process in progress
Limpopo	2000	N/A	Rectification process in progress
Mpumalanga	9 701	N/A	Survey has been done and the appointment of contractors for the first 300 units is receiving attention through the normal procurement process
Northern Cape	1341	12,4	Currently 554 housing units have been rectified and the balance is in process.
North West	600	2,3	Programme is still in the planning stage and a contractor has not yet been appointed.
Western Cape	2473	82,4	Applications has been received for 2705 and are in process of being evaluated.

(2) The following provinces have already appointed contractors, namely: Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape.

PROVINCE	HOW MANY CONTRACTS	TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS INVOLVED	ESTIMATED COST R' MILLION
Eastern Cape	26	5,145	99,7
Mpumalanga	3	N/A
Northern Cape	1	1341	12,4
Western Cape	6	2473	82,4

(3) Yes, various initiatives have been undertaken or are in the process to verify whether beneficiairies ocuppying their houses have received deed of transfer. Details of the status quo in the various Provinces are as follows:

Eastern Cape:

The survey is under way. A service provider has been appointed to conduct a door to door verification exercise of all people that received a subsidised house. The objective of the survey is to verify whether the occupant is the approved owner of the property and whether he/she has received a title deed. The survey only commenced in April 2008 and has not yet been finalised. Some of the transfers have been outstanding for longer than twelve months due to certain municipalities not having finalised the township establishment process.

The Eastern Cape Provincial Housing Department is in the process of appointing town planning experts to assist with the fast-tracking of the township establishment process in projects where this is an inhibiting factor. The latter projects have been identified. The Provincial Department is also currently beefing up its contract management capacity to assist municipalities to deal with slack conveyancers. In terms hereof, monthly meetings are held with the relevant municipalities and their conveyancers to iron out issues that have blockages.

Gauteng:

The Gauteng Provincial Housing Department has appointed a service provider, namely Servcon to undertake an audit of occupation of the housing subsidy scheme houses. Servcon has been instructed by the Provincial Housing Department to visit houses built by the province and ascertain whether the approved beneficiary is in occupation of the house. Servcon established to date that 25 053 beneficiaries are in occupation of their housing subsidy scheme house but have not received their title deeds. The Provincial Housing Department has mandated Servcon to regularize instances where the beneficiaries have not received their title deeds and to ensure that these beneficiaries are registered at the Deeds Office.

Limpopo:

According to a survey conducted, a total number of 10 473 beneficiaries have taken occupancy of subsidised houses without deeds of transfer being issued. The Provincial Department is planning to register 3000 of these properties during the current financial year, 4000 in 2009/10 and the balance of 3475 in the 2010/2011 financial year.

Mpumalanga:

The Provincial Housing Department is aware of the occupants of subsidised houses without title deeds. Problems are being experienced with registering title deeds because most of the townships were not proclaimed and developments are located in rural areas. As a result, conveyancers are struggling to register deeds. The Provincial Housing Department has initiated a process to proclaim all townships in order to be able to register title deeds which will assist in preventing beneficiaries from selling subsidised houses unlawfully. A service provider has been appointed to take the necessary steps and some documentation has already been submitted to the Office of the Registrar of Deeds.

Northern Cape

A total number of 2628 beneficiaires without title deeds was identified during an investigation in October 2007. Of this number 1136 registrations have already taken place and the particulars of the other have been forwarded to the relevant conveyancers for the necessary attention. Investigations are continuing and the number of registrations is updated every two weeks.

Western Cape

The Western Cape Provincial Housing Department has commenced with some surveys in this regard but no information is yet available of the extent or number of beneficiaries that occupy subsidised housing units which are not yet transferred to their names.

(4) As indicated in paragraph (3) above, most Provinces have already put some initiatives in place to address this matter. In addition, the National Department of Housing is also in the process of considering various options in this regard to assist Provincial Housing Departments in their efforts.

QUESTION NO.: 636

Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister of Housing as follows:

(1) How many employees in her department are currently (i) under investigation for fraud related to housing subsidies and ancillary matters and (ii) being prosecuted for fraud (iii) have owned up to fraud and have been spared prosecution provided that money that has misappropriated, is paid back, (b) what steps have been taken to eliminate fraud con cerning housing subsidies and (c) with what success?

Reply:

None

I can imagine the glee with which the Honourable Member asked the question. Here are the facts:

No employees in my department are under investigation because no corruption or fraud has taken place IN the department, but unearthed when an audit was done and civil servants across government had made false submissions and thereby procured housing subsidies. NOT ONE of these civil servants was from the Department of Housing. NOT ONE.

In my Budget Vote on 28 May 2008, I reported back to Parliament on a matter referred to the department by the Auditor-General from his review of the period 1999 to 2004, where government employees from various levels of government, had fraudulently claimed subsidy housing. The Department of Housing monitors the subsidy scheme in the same way as National Treasury monitors the Persal salary payment system.

The National Department of Housing does not administer subsidies, it only monitors the system.

(b) This is what I delivered in my Budget Vote address on 28 May 2008:

"The SIU embarked on a massive forensic data analytical investigation and identified 31259 potentially irregular housing subsidy transactions awarded to government employees nationally. The SIU has begun the process of prosecuting and finalising criminal cases against the corrupt officials in different Provinces around the country. 29 cases have already been finalised with sentences including the payment of the value of the houses. The total amount of debt we expect to recover is R6 827,036.30. A cash amount of R1 103,772.00 has been paid back. The SIU will make recommendations to the Department in order to curb future systematic or opportunistic abuse of the Housing Subsidy System.

"It is envisaged that two hundred (200) cases will be placed on the court roll in the new financial year. The prosecution of fraudulent beneficiaries will have a significant impact in terms of deterrence and promoting a culture of legal obedience."

QUESTION NO: 332

Mr S.J. Masango, (D.A), to ask the Minister of Housing:

As the latest specified date for which information is available,

(a) How many units of the N2 Gateway development were occupied

(i) in total; and

(ii) by individuals who had been on the Cape Town housing list.

(b) What is the current estimated date of completion of the project; and

(c) What constraints remain in meeting the target date?

Reply

(a) (i) As of 17th June 2008, the total number of units occupied in the N2 Gateway Project is as follows:

Rental Units: Joe Slovo Rental Units 705

Total 705

Ownership units: Delft Symphony Precints 4 and 6 1061

Delft 7 – 9 150

New Rest 150

1361

(ii) Of the 1361 houses handed over, 429 beneficiaries were backyarders and 932 from informal settlements who are all from the City's waiting list..

(b) The N2 Gateway Project is a project which seeks to test the appropriateness of the "Breaking New Ground" Comprehensive Plan for the delivery of sustainable and integrated Human Settlements.

The current status of the project:

Delft Symphony	6242 serviced sites. Serviced site for the construction of 350 rental units.	Complete Complete.
Delft 7-9	3908 serviced sites Serviced site for the construction of 845 rental units.	Complete
New Rest	1154 serviced sites.	To be completed Dec 2008
Joe Slovo 3	1545 serviced sites.	Date unknown as we await outcome of court action.
Boystown	1308 serviced sites.	Unknown

HOUSES

Joe Slovo Rental Housing	705 units	Complete
Delft Symphony Precinct 4 & 6	2374	To be completed Aug 2008 1061 occupied.
Delft Symphony Precinct 1& 2	1850	To be completed Jun 2009
Delft Symphony Social Rental	350	To be completed Jun 2009
Delft Symphony Precinct 3 & 5	1333	To be completed Jun 2009
Delft 7-9	3908	To be completed Dec 2008 150 occupied.
Delft 7-9 Social Rental	845 (up to 3 storeys)	To be completed Jun 2009
New Rest (contractor Built)	620	To be completed Feb 2009 150 occupied.
New Rest (PHP)	535	To be completed Jun 2009
Boystown	1308	To be completed Mar 2010
Joe Slovo 2	43 ( affordable houses by others)	December 2008.
Joe Slovo 3	1545	Date unknown as we await outcome of court action.

The above upon completion will realise 15,416 housing opportunities. Whilst it was originally the intention to deliver 23,178 housing opportunities this figure continues to increase as a result of inward migration and is estimated to be now closer to 30,000. It follows, therefore, that a further 15,000 housing opportunities will have to be made available. This will form part of the next process, which has already been initiated, of identifying and acquiring land to be able to meet this growing demand which then will define the project completion date.

(c) Other than the land shortages experienced in the whole of the Cape Town region, the other constraints remaining in meeting the target for the completion of the project are as follows:

· Illegal invasions

· Labour challenges

· Protest actions

QUESTION 1014

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether her department (a) has kept records as required by the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and (b) has reported any incidents of losses through (i) criminal conduct, (ii) unauthorised expenditure, (iii) irregular expenditure or (iv) fruitless and wasteful expenditure during the 2007-08 financial year; if not, why not; if so,

(2) whether any action has been taken against the offending officials; if not, why not; if so, in each category, (a) how many officials (i) were dismissed, (ii) were suspended and (iii) had other sanctions imposed on them and (b) what amounts of money were involved;

(3) whether there were any disciplinary cases pending on 31 March 2008; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

1. (a) Yes

(b) Yes

2. Yes

(a) (i) One (1) dismissal for theft

(ii) None

(iii) One written warning

Four final written warnings

(b) A total of R32 328-12 for all cases

4. Yes, one (1) case is pending. It was found that the official negligently mismanaged state finances.

QUESTION NO.: 1253

Mr AC Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

§ What amount was spent by officials of her Department on

(a) Hotel Accommodation

(b) restaurants expenses and

(c) travel costs.

(i) in the 2007 -08 financial year and

(ii) during the period 1 April 2008 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?

REPLY

The Department has constitutional and statutory responsibilities towards the Portfolio Committee and other Parliamentary structures, whenever their presence is required. In the period under question, the department has appeared before Parliament structures no less than 51 occasions. The staff attends Minmec meetings, which is also a statutory requirement. A departmental team is permanently based in the Eastern Cape, acting on a Cabinet instruction for a special intervention. In addition, the officials of the Department of Housing are responsible to regularly travel to all nine provinces to check on progress made with the implementation of housing projects, meet with Provincial Housing Departments. These responsibilities of the National Department of Housing means that officials would travel and sometimes stay overnight in hotels and that costs would be incurred.

Total expenditure incurred during 2007/08 on hotel accommodation, restaurants and travel costs amounted to R 27 754 161.46

DOMESTIC	FOREIGN
(a)(i) Accommodation R 5 762 905.68 (b)(i) Daily allowance and incidental costs R 639 594.95 (c)((i) Travel costs R 16 916 483.88 Total R 23 318 984.51	(a)(i) Accommodation R 2 005 885.54 (b)(i) Daily allowance and incidental costs R 291 068.15 (c) (i) Travel costs R2 138 223.26 Total R4 435 176.95

Total expenditure incurred from 1 April 2008 to 05 August 2008 on hotel accommodation, restaurants and travel costs amounted to R 10 159 539.93. The amount comprises:

DOMESTIC	FOREIGN
(a)(ii) Accommodation R 1 888 273.70 (b)(ii) Daily allowance and incidental costs R 253 359.41 (c)(ii) Travel costs R 6 046 885.52 Total R 8 188 518.63	(a)(ii) Accommodation R 1 592 478.48 (b)(ii) Daily allowance and incidental costs R 122 075.98 (c)(ii) Travel costs R 256 466.84 Total R 1 971 021.30

QUESTION NO: 1275

Mr P J Groenewald (FF) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) What amount did her department (a) budget and (b) spend on the construction of new houses in North West in the (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2006-07 and (iv) 2007-08 financial years and (c) in what areas was this money spent;

(2) Whether there was any over- or under spending of the budget; if so, what were the reasons for this in each case;

(3) Whether any problems are mentioned in the project reports of the various project managers in North West; if so, (a) what are these problems and (b) what corrective steps are being taken in each case;

(4) Whether she will make a statement on the matter?

REPLY

1 The following amounts were granted to the North West province for the (i)2004/05; (ii) 2005/06; (iii) 2006/07 and 2007/08 financial years:

Financial year	Total Funds available R'000	Amount spent R'000
2004/05	513 737	371 933
2005/06	609 795	615 412
2006/07	699 915	696 544
2007/08	875 178	*785 516

* The figure for the 2007/08 financial year is in the process of being audited due to the fact that the audit report has not been issued as yet.

(c) The funds were reported to have been spent in the following housing programmes:

1. Project-Linked Subsidies	7. Developer Driven Individual Subsidy
2. Consolidated Subsidies	8. Individual subsidies
3. Institutional Programme	9. Extended Benefit Scheme
4.Hostel Upgrading Programme	10.Social Housing Prorgramme
5. Rural housing Programme	11.Integrated Human Settlement Programme
6. Peoples Housing Process Programme	12. Operational Capital Programme

QUESTION NO: 904

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether her department makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007;

(2) whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did her department take out in this regard in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) why is there a need for her department to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

Reply

(1) No

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

QUESTION NO: 904

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether her department makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007;

(2) whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did her department take out in this regard in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) why is there a need for her department to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

Reply

(1) No

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

QUESTION No. 1905

Mr S J Masango (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to oral Question 102 on 12 March 2008, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and the Eastern Cape Provincial Housing Department has provided her with the relevant information; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply

(1) Yes. Funding for the work was approved by the Council, tender documents were prepared, and the tender process was followed. The site was handed over to the successful contractor on 21 November 2008. Although the contractor managed to be on site with all the necessary equipment, he failed to comply with Occupation and Health Safety Regulations. The contractor is currently in the process of putting the necessary procedures and processes in place to ensure compliance with the relevant regulations and will commence with actual repairs by the middle of January 2009.

QUESTION 1945

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

In each of the past five years up to and including 1 November 2008, (a) how many houses has her department built in each province, (b) how many provincial departments of housing have underspent their budgets, (c) how many housing projects (i) are currently under way, (ii) were completed and (iii) were suspended and (d) what is the total cost of all (i) houses that her department has built and (ii) suspended housing projects?

REPLY

The National Department of Housing has delivered a total number of houses completed and in process of completion as follows:

(a)

(b) h

NNote: Housing delivery information for the month of October and November 2008 is in the process of being finalised.

(b)

Provinces	2004/05	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
No. of PHDs with under-expenditure of more than 5%	4	3	3	3	Pending

(b) The number of housing projects:

(i) that are currently under way:

Province	Total
EC	127
FS	221
GP	676
KZ	182
LP	317
MP	371
NC	87
NW	170
WC	346
Total	2,467

(ii) that were completed:

Province	Total
EC	29
FS	111
GP	105
KZ	65
LP	66
MP	82
NC	59
NW	23
WC	162
Total	732

(iii) that were suspended:

There are no projects that the National Department of Housing is aware of that have been suspended.

(c) The total cost of:

(i) houses that the department has built:

R29,6 billion has been expended over the 5 year period to 01 November 2008.

Year	Total (R '000)
2004/05	R 4,481,638
2005/06	R 5,014,231
2006/07	R 6,495,433
2007/08	R 8,219,794
2008/09	R 5,462,632
Total	R 29,673,728

(ii) suspended housing projects:

Nil - There are no projects that the National Department of Housing is aware of that have been suspended.

QUESTION 1633

Dr R Rabinowitz to ask the Minister of Housing:

1. Whether a tender was issued for the supply of solar water geysers in the two projects in Alexandria (names furnished), if not, why not; if so, (a) which companies responded to the tender, (b) what were their tenders in each case, (c) to whom was the tender awarded (d) what was the cost (i) per item or per geyser and (ii) per geyser installed and (e) how many geysers were installed,

2. Whether there is an ongoing service component to the awarded contract; if not, why not, if so, what does it comprise;

3. Whether it includes the training of persons in the community; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1. According to the Eastern Cape Department of Housing, as well as the Ndlambe Municipality, none of the housing projects in that municipality contain solar water geysers due to the fact that the housing subsidy does not provide for the installation of geysers in subsidized houses. A tender in this regard was therefore never issued.

2. Not applicable

3. Not applicable

QUESTION NO. 1070

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether any members of her department are currently suspended on full pay; if so, (a) how many, (b) at what rank level, (c) in which management areas and (d) for how long have they been on suspension

(2) what was the cost to her department of salaries paid to members suspended on full pay in respect of each of the past three financial years up to and including the 2007-08 financial year?

Reply

(1) No

(2) 2005/06 R0

2006/07 R385 554.47

2007/08 R630 875.79

QUESTION NO 961

Mr. A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether her department has conducted an energy audit to determine its (a) use of energy and (b) opportunities for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) Whether her department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(3) Whether her department has made any material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) Yes; the department engaged the services of Electro Sense to undertake an energy audit during March 2008. The outcome of the Audit indicates that the department complies with the Department of Minerals Energy requirements as far as the fittings is concerned The report highlights that there is a need to switch off lights when not in use and that all magnetic and or cold start electronic ballasts must be retrofit to the more efficient warm electronic ballasts as well as changing inefficient incandescent lamps to compact fluorescent lamps and/ or lower wattage incandescent lamps, of which these amount to only 73 units as the other units are energy efficient.

(2) Yes. The department is implementing a plan which indicates time to switch off lights and which areas are to be lit up. Energy efficient bulbs and fittings have been fitted to the buildings. Further process of sourcing the lighting retrofit and sensor installation is currently underway.

(3) The department has made concerted efforts to comply with the energy efficiency measures as it has outlined above however, it is too soon to can proclaim a substantive reduction in energy usage.

QUESTION NO.: 742

Mr A.C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether there have been any instances where certificates of occupations, rather than the title deeds, have been used as the basis for the sale of low-cost houses; If so (a) what is the extent of this problem and (b) what action has been taken to address this problem;

(2) Whether any persons who had purchased a house under such circumstances have subsequently lost (a) the house and (b) the purchase amount; If not, what is the position in this regard; If so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

(1)(a) No

(1)(b) Not applicable

(2)(a) Not applicable

(2)(b) Not applicable

QUESTION NO.: 749

Mr AC Steyn (DA) asks the Minister of Housing:

As the latest specified date for which information is available, whether, any action has been taken against developers for failure to deliver on their contracts; if not, why not, if so

(a) What action; and

(b) Against whom?

Reply

Yes

Action has been taken against developers as follows:

Limpopo Province

Legal actions have been taken against three developers who had not complied with the specifications.

Mpumalanga

The services of two contractors were terminated and taken over by a new contractor. Additional penalties were changed for missing items and quality problems.

QUESTION NUMBER 756

Mr S J Masango (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

Whether the position of Chief Operations Officer currently held by a certain person (name furnished) was advertised internally and externally; if not, why not; if so, (a) when was the position advertised, (b) in which newspapers, (c) what were the requirements and qualifications for the position; and (d) – (i) how many people were short-listed and (ii) what are their (aa) names and (bb) qualifications

REPLY

Yes

(a) Sunday, 21 October 2007

(b) Sunday Times, City Press and Rapport

(c) (i) Proven strategic management and planning abilities as well as

administrative and organisational skills; Experience in international co-operation and inter departmental relations; Ability to maintain sound interpersonal relations; Knowledge of administrative procedures applicable to the Public Service; In-depth knowledge of the housing environment, pertaining specifically to the development of housing legislation and policy; A clear understanding of the political, socio-economic environment and unwavering commitment to customer care; Proven skills in both written and verbal communication at a high level will be strong recommendations; Understanding of broader transformation issues; Knowledge of Government finances and the PFMA would be and advantage; Ability to work under pressure; Refine knowledge and understanding of inter-governmental relations.

(ii) An appropriate three-year Bachelor's degree/diploma or equivalent qualification plus proven relevant experience.

(d) (i) No applicants were short-listed for the post due to the fact that the incumbent of the post of Deputy Director-General: Delivery Support was transferred to the post of Chief of Operations.

Not applicable – see (d) (i)

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

QUESTION NO. 1104

Dr R Rabinowitz (IFP) to ask the Minister of Housing:

1. Whether she will ensure that her department (a) monitors and (b) reduces its carbon footprint with immediate effect; if so, how will this be done;

2. Whether this will include the phasing out of glossy publications from all agencies or councils reporting to her; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

3. (a) what is the estimated costs of all such (i) reports (ii) publications per annum in the case of these agencies and all other documents of her department and (b) what kinds of (i) energy are being used in the offices of her department and (ii) energy saving measures are being implemented in these offices?

REPLY

The response below applies to the National Department of Housing and, the following Housing Institutions – National Home Builders Registration Council; National Housing Finance Corporation; Rural Housing Loan Fund; Servcon; NURCHA; Thubelisha and Social Housing Foundation.

(1a) The National Department of Housing currently monitors and evaluates the impact of National Housing Policies, Programmes and Projects. There are currently no specific mechanisms in place for the monitoring of the carbon footprint as pertains to the national Department of Housing and it's Housing Institutions.

(1b) In view of the growing importance of the issue of managing national carbon footprints globally, the Department will have to consider the role of the Monitoring & Evaluation unit in investigating the problem. This action will also lead to the need to consult with other relevant Departments such as the Departments of Environment Affairs and Tourism, as well as Minerals and Energy and others in order to develop collaborative strategies regarding carbon footprints.

Once this consultation and processes have been completed, my Department may be in a position to develop and provide all relevant entities with guidelines on how to conserve energy and promote a healthy environment.

2. The Department and the Housing Institutions that report to the Minister of Housing primarily produce non-glossy publications aimed at imparting information to all stakeholders in the housing sector. Among these are factual Z-fold pamphlets that inform beneficiaries of housing access criteria and existing housing programmes.

Currently the only glossy publications produced are Annual Reports/Reviews which are statutorily required for 'tabling' to Parliament (750 copies per entity and the Department).

As part of the investigation and development of a strategy to manage the issue of reducing the Departmental carbon footprint, the unit tasked with this function will be required to make recommendations on the development of environmentally friendly strategies in terms of energy audits at construction sites, recycling programmes and, production alternatives.

Currently the Department and some of the entities are already applying environmentally friendly strategies that contribute to the conservation of the environment. Among these are:

· the use of environmentally friendly paper for the production of Annual Reports;

· the reduction of the full copy print runs to meet the requirements for Parliamentary 'tabling' quotas and;

· extensive use of alternative methods such as DVD's and, the Website.

In addition to the Website smaller hard copy quantities of the summarised version of the report will be produced to cut down on the impact on the environment.

· availing in-house documents and reports in electronic format for employees to read on their Computers instead of printing hard copies.

(3a)

(i) Estimated costs for Annual Reports are R1 251 558.00

(ii) Estimated costs for Publications per annum are R765 000.00

The costs tabulated in these figures account for bulk multi-lingual (11 languages) printing of publications (and exceeds the six languages of the National Language Framework) aimed at reaching the primary target markets in their own mother tongue languages. This is especially the case with the national Department which also supplies Provinces and Municipalities with copies for on-going local distribution.

(3b)

(i) Energy used in the offices is electricity supplied by Eskom or the Local Municipalities within which organisations operate.

(iii) Energy saving measures implemented include:

· Electricity:

i. Switching off unused lights during the day as well as all lights at the end of the working day.

ii. Replacing conventional light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs.

iii. Switching off computers when not in use as well as removing screen savers from computer screens.

iv. Unplugging cellular phone chargers when not in use.

v. Connecting several officers to fewer printers.

vi. Severely limit the number of Colour printers available for staff use.

vii. Conversion of air conditioners to individual operation controls instead of being centrally operated.

viii.

· Paper:

i. Produce, distribute and store press cuttings electronically.

ii. Electronic editing/comments for Draft documents.

iii. Double sided printing.

iv. Re-cycle used paper via re-cycling bins and, printing drafts on used paper.

v. Electronic stock control, orders and receipt issuing;

vi. Electronic presentation and distribution of 'Presentations' at meetings;

vii. Printing of limited quantities of in-house Newsletters which are also accessible on the Website/Intranet;

viii. Limited bulk printing of official Stationary (eg. letterheads, fax sheets, invitations, cards etc.) – the template/master copies are available from the Intranet for individual downloading;

ix. All staff have access (at own Desk or Library) to the Intranet where they can access official documents to read or print if necessary.

x. Reduction of the number of publication subscriptions.

· Others:

i. Encourage staff to share cars when attending the same meetings;

ii. Promotion of teleconferencing to avoid travel to meetings.

While these energy saving measures are not exhaustive, the entities and the Department will continue to explore alternative methods for environmentally friendly ways of doing business and, develop campaigns to conscientise employees on the need to save energy at work and at home.

QUESTION NO.: 1145

Mr AC Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

Whether any function was organised to mark the occasion of the delivery of the minister's budget vote in 2008; If so,

a) What total amount was spent on this function,

b) From which budget was the money allocated

c) What amount was spent on

i. Food and refreshments

ii. Venue

iii. Entertainment

iv. Staff and

v. Transport

a) How many persons were invited to attend this function?

REPLY

Yes,

a) R0

b) ABSA Bank sponsored the event

c) Expenditure was as follows

i. Not applicable

ii. Not applicable

iii. Not applicable

iv. Not applicable

v. Not applicable

d) 200 guests, including the Honourable Steyn. And as a point of general information: a great deal of fun was had by all!

QUESTION NO.: 493

Mr I E Jenner (ID) to ask the Minister of Housing:

In respect of the 20061. Whether her Department or any institutions falling under her Department are currently experiencing any shortages in qualified personnel; if not what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the extent of the shortages in each category of specialized work, including in respect of qualified (i) project managers, (ii) electricians, (iii) architects, (iv) plumbers, (v) accountants and (iv) other skilled specialised workers and (b) what steps are being taken to rectify these shortages?

REPLY

A.

The budgeted cost, actual cost and unit cost in respect of the Statutory and other Entities reporting to the Department were as follows:

THUBELISHA HOMES

Thubelisha Homes is currently being wound down and shortages should be seen against this background.

B. SOCIAL HOUSING FOUNDATION (SHF)

The SHF is currently being wound down and shortages should be seen against this background.

C. SERVCON HOUSING SOLUTIONS

(a) Servcon Housing Solutions is not experiencing any shortages in skilled staff, since well created positions have been successfully filled

D. NATIONAL URBAN RECONSTRUCTION HOUSING AGENCY (NURCHA)

(a) Nurcha is not experiencing any shortages in skilled staff.

E. RUARAL HOUSING LOAN (RHLF)

(a) RHLF does not experience any staff shortages in qualified personnel. All the approved job positions of RHLF are filled in line with the capacities of the size of the institution as required.

F. NATIONAL HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION (NHFC)

(a) The NHFC does experience skills shortages, as follows:

· Institutional Level

The expansion of the NHFC's mandate has included restructuring of the Corporation's structure to align it with the changed mandate and direction. The restructured organization necessitated new competencies to ensure that the new demands of the mandate were fulfilled. This meant additional capabilities at institutional level, to ensure that institutional interventions such as skills audit, leadership capability assessment are undertaken. The NHFC engaged well equipped partners to assist in this regard. The result from both processes was an implementation of the recommendations which are currently underway.

· Individual Level

The changes, also meant that the Corporation needed to acquire new capabilities (human, process, and technology) in order to ensure delivery of its new mandate.

Priority to the resourcing of the Corporation was given to the internal candidates who were adequately skilled to fulfill the demands of the newly established roles. Where there was a need to go externally because of inadequate competencies, there was a deliberate effort to ensure mentoring of the internal resources through shadowing. This was deliberate in order to beef up the internal competencies and to preserve jobs.

The challenges are experienced in the recruitment of specialized financial skill e.g. Turnaround Specialist, Enterprise Wide Risk Management and Actuarial skills, which skills are requisite in the financial industry which NHFC is in. The NHFC has drafted a retention strategy which is aimed at ensuring that its mission critical employees are retained.

G. NATIONAL HOME BUILDERS REGISTRATION COUNCIL (NHBRC)

(a) NHBRC is experiencing staff shortages in respect of engineers as there is a general shortage of technical skills in South Africa in particular Engineering, Finance and scientific fields as espoused by our Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA's). NHBRC has lost some of its recruited engineers since the beginning of 2007/08 financial year to organizations that offer far higher salaries. Whilst some of the positions have been filled, the NHBRC presently has to fill vacant positions of Structural Engineers.

(b) The NHBRC is taking measures to recruit engineers from India, Cuba and to use the Presidential database in identifying engineers who can be recruited. NHBRC has introduced a programme of adopting schools by providing financial assistance to Grade 12 students and encouraging them to pursue engineering and IT fields.

Learnerships and internship programmes have been introduced within the NHBRC to increase capacity and to expose young South Africans to the environment. Bursaries are also given to matriculants who have attained excellent results and pursuing the field of engineering e.g. 17 students were offered bursaries and are studying at various institutions.

QUESTION NO.: 1769

Mr A C Steyn (DA) is to ask the Minister of Housing as follows:

Whether any disciplinary action was taken against officials in her department (a) in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and(iii) 2007 and (b) during the period 1 January 2008 up to30 September 2008; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) how many instances of disciplinary action occurred, (ii) what was the rank/position of each official against whom disciplinary action was taken, (iii) what was the transgression and(iv) what disciplinary action was taken?

REPLY

(a) Yes, there has been disciplinary action taken against certain officials in my department. The following disciplinary action was taken against the employees in 2005, 2006, and 2007 respectively.

(i) 2005

Instances	Position	Transgression	Disciplinary Action	Sanction
First Offender	Deputy Director	1.Nepotism 2. Contravention of the Code of Conduct of the Public Service 3. Wasteful and fruitless expenditure	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty of all the charges and sanction of Final Written Warning was awarded.

(ii) 2006

Instances	Position	Transgression	Disciplinary Action	Sanction
First Offender	Senior Secretary	 Insolence and Insubordination  Theft and / or unlawful removal and use of departmental property  Theft or dishonesty  Falsification of Records	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty of all the charges and sanction of Dismissal was awarded

(iii) 2007

Instances	Position	Transgression	Disciplinary Action	Sanction
First Offender	Secretary	Fraud	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty and sanction of dismissal was awarded.
First Offender	Senior Secretary	Breach of Administrative Process	Progressive discipline applied to the employee	Sanction of written warning was awarded

(b) During the period 01 January 2008 to 30 September 2008

Instances	Position	Transgression	Disciplinary Action	Sanction
Second Offender	Messenger/Driver	Theft	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty and sanction of demotion and Final Written Warning was awarded.
First Offender	Librarian	Theft	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty and sanction of demotion and Final Written Warning was awarded
First Offender	Senior Administrative Officer	Theft	Disciplinary enquiry was held against the employee	The employee was found guilty and sanction of Final Written Warning was awarded. The employee was also referred to Employee Health and Wellness Programme for Counseling.