Question NW1870 to the Minister of Human Settlements

Share this page:

14 October 2016 - NW1870

Profile picture: Gqada, Ms T

Gqada, Ms T to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

(a) What is the total number of state-subsidised houses that required rectification in each metropolitan municipality in the (i) (aa) 2012-13, (bb) 2013-14, (cc) 2014-15 and (dd) 2015-16 financial years and (ii) since 1 June 2016 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what is the total amount that each of the specified metropolitan municipalities spent on the rectification of the specified state-subsidised houses?

Reply:

I am not certain what the Honourable member is trying to achieve with this question. I am on record on this matter disapproving of any plans to continue with rectification, it is undesirable. I wish to reiterate what I said during the Policy Debate on the budget of my Department on 12 May 2015 in the NCOP. I indicated,

We are no longer rectifying houses using our budget. Any house that has defaults is the responsibility of the NHBRC, which is responsible to identify the contractor and ensure that they rectify the shoddy work at their own cost. The money currently used on rectification can and will be used in building more houses.

Honourable member, I want to unequivocally state that it is now policy that my Department will no longer rectify any houses using its funds. A directive in this regard was issued in 2015 to all Provincial Human Settlements Departments that no funding from the Human Settlements Development Grant may be utilised for rectification.

Otherwise, where and when rectification took place, it would have been reported on in previous annual reports and I would suggest that the Honourable member consult these reports for information dating back to 2012.

Source file