Hansard: NCOP: Motions; Legislation & Reports
House: National Council of Provinces
Date of Meeting: 14 May 2012
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 50
START OF DAY
TUESDAY, 15 MAY 2012
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
__________________
The Council met at 14:05.
The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
NOTICES OF MOTION
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 50
START OF DAY
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms B V MNCUBE: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move:
That the Council–
(1) dedicates some time to pay tribute and homage to Rev Motlalepula Chabaku, who was the last surviving member of the leadership of determined women who, in 1956, led a march of thousands of women from all over South Africa representing all racial groups and classes to protest against the extension of passes to women by the apartheid regime;
(2) further notes that Rev Chabaku once served as a member of this Council and served our people with the utmost dedication and humility in the Gauteng and Free State provincial legislatures - she was also the first female Speaker of the Free State legislature; and
(3) acknowledges that paying tribute to this great stalwart of our people and veteran of our struggle for liberation will be a show of profound appreciation for the formidable role that Rev Chabaku played in our society and democracy.
Mr M W MAKHUBELA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 50
Ms B V MNCUBE
Mr M W MAKHUBELA: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting of the Council I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the Council–
(1) debates the instability prevailing in the police department, which is dominating the news media in the country; and
(2) calls upon the Minister of Police to intervene and quell the situation to restore the dignity of the department, which is being tarnished by the top management of the police; and
(3) notes that they have deviated from their main goal, which is fighting and combating crime in the country, and are concentrating on personal ambition, which is now dominating newspaper headlines.
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 50
Mr M W MAKHUBELA
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting of the Council I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the Council–
(1) notes that the plan of the South African government and or the Minister of Human Settlements to establish a state housing company is irresponsible and must be rejected;
(2) further notes that government does not have the capacity now to monitor and evaluate the quality of the structure of houses or to make sure that the National Home Builders Registration Council does their responsible duty of ensuring that no shoddy houses are built; and
(3) requests the government of South Africa, the Minister of Human Settlements and the NHBRC to focus on how they can sharpen their skills and responsibilities to ensure a quality structure in all state-subsidised houses before establishing a state housing company.
Mr D V BLOEM
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 50
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS
Mr D V BLOEM: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move:
That the Council –
(1) debates that more than 200 community-service pharmacists, doctors and nurses did not receive salaries for April, with some dating back to December, in the Eastern Cape health department;
(2) ensures that appropriate disciplinary action is taken against those finance officials responsible for administering the salary payments of the affected medical personnel;
(3) acknowledges that this affects the morale of medical staff and could have unintended consequences of patients receiving poor service and treatment, given the adverse working conditions that have been created by the nonpayment of salaries;
(4) expresses disgust at the poor financial management in the Eastern Cape health department, which has contributed to the unsatisfactory state of affairs; and
(5) calls on the President to fire the premier and MEC and the national Minister of Health to take over the running of the Eastern Cape department of health. [Interjections.]
MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE - Mr A G MATILA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
NOTICES OF MOTION - Mr D V BLOEM
DEATH OF SEVEN FAMILY MEMBERS IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
(Draft Resolution)
Mr A G MATILA: Chair, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes with profound sadness the tragic death of a family of seven, who was wiped out in a horrific accident when a car collided with a truck and a trailer on the R27 just outside Langebaan in the Western Cape;
(2) further notes that Melicia Wilsnach and her fiancém Moegamat Millerm and their three children, Marcus, who was a year-old, Callum, who was seven-years-old, and Damian, who was 16-years-old, and two relatives were driving home to St Helena when the accident happened on Saturday, 12 May 2012; and
(3) takes this opportunity to express its profound condolences to the family of the deceased and wishes them strength in this time of need.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Mr D D GAMEDE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mr A G MATILA
CONGRATULATIONS TO KWAZULU-NATAL ON HOSTING A SUCCESSFUL PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr D D GAMEDE: Chair, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) congratulates KwaZulu-Natal on holding a very successful and peaceful provincial conference;
(2) further congratulates Mr Zweli Mkhize on his re-election as chairperson and the whole provincial executive committee that was elected; and
(3) acknowledges that this means that there will still be peace, stability and development in KwaZulu-Natal.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Mr S S MAZOSIWE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mr D D GAMEDE
WIDE-SCALE CORRUPTION UNEARTHED IN EASTERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
(Draft Resolution)
Mr S S MAZOSIWE: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes the report on a preliminary probe by the Special Investigating Unit, which has unearthed wide-scale corruption amounting to R200 million within the Eastern Cape department of health;
(2) further notes that the department has a long history of fraud and profiteering, ghost workers and irregular procurement tendencies, which constitute the bulk of the R800 million that has vanished from its coffers;
(3) condemns this unbecoming behaviour of some of our public servants who continue to undermine our government programme of improving the lives of our people by filling their pockets and feeding their bellies with funds intended to give our people a better life and effective services; and
(4) takes this opportunity to make a clarion call to all our people, particularly to dedicated and selfless public servants, to take up the national task of waging a war against corruption in our government in all its forms and guises and to ensure that those who continue to dip their hands into the public till are made to face the full might of the law.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Ms E C VAN LINGEN
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mr D D GAMEDE
CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS BY SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES IN THE EASTERN CAPE
(Draft Resolution)
Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Chairperson, I move without notice on behalf of the DA:
That the Council-
(1) notes that various school governing bodies have closed their schools in the Eastern Cape due to the nonperformance of the department of the basic education;
(2) further notes that some of the reasons mooted are-
(a) that the schools have not received any payment for their outstanding municipal service fees for the school hostels, which the department of basic education should pay over on a monthly basis;
(b) the Eastern Cape department of education has committed, in writing, to specific runs of payment, which was not done last week; and
(c) temporary teachers are not appointed or paid;
(3) acknowledges that the activities of the SGBs in closing the schools, to the detriment of the learners, are illegal and of great concern; and
(4) calls on the Minister of Basic Education to assess the current situation, call meetings between the Department of Basic Education and the SGBs and make a full statement on the issues addressed to prevent the spread of further closure of schools.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is there any objection to the motion? [Interjections.] There's an objection. In light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will now become a notice of a motion.
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Ms E C VAN LINGEN
BLASTING OF AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES IN THE WESTERN CAPE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes that the blasting of automated teller machines in the Western Cape province has become a huge concern, a matter of danger and a threat to state security and safety;
(2) further notes that the recent blasting of an ATM in Nyanga is the 15th in three-and-a-half months, which shows that this violent crime is on the increase;
(3) realises that these crooks are not only a danger to themselves but also a threat to the community, the government and state security, as well as safety; and
(4) urges everyone to join hands and assist the police to arrest these criminals as quickly as possible.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Ms B P MABE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS
THE EFFECTS OF TIK ON CAPE FLATS CHILDREN
(Draft Resolution)
Ms B P MABE: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes with the utmost concern that 10 years after tik exploded on the Cape Flats, the effects on children whose mothers used the drug while pregnant are beginning to show, with many of these children suffering several behavioural and mental-health problems akin to foetal alcohol syndrome;
(2) further notes that various schools in the Western Cape, particularly on the Cape Flats, have expressed their concern that some of these children may not even make it to high school due to the severity of the effects of tik;
(3) acknowledges that these concerns require an urgent intervention from government, specifically the Department of Basic Education, to put in place programmes to support many of these children and launch a robust programme to raise awareness about the dire consequences of tik to children; and
(4) takes this opportunity to call on all communities and families to lend their hands to fight against drug abuse and rise against those who continue to peddle drugs in our communities.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Mrs R M RASMENI
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Ms B P MABE
LAUNCHING OF CAMPAIGN BY DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
(Draft Resolution)
Mrs R M RASMENI: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes the campaign launched by the Department of Home Affairs to stop the duplication and theft of identity documents, which was launched on Friday, 11 May 2012, in terms of which it plans to contact 29 000 cloned South Africans;
(2) further notes that last week the department published the names of affected people in some newspapers and will extend its reach this week by including community newspapers;
(3) acknowledges that this campaign, which aims to encourage individuals whose identity document numbers have been cloned to visit Home Affairs offices to solve the duplication problem, will go a long way to government's commitment to put an end to identity-document theft and cloning and result in the arrest of the criminals who continue to hide their ill deeds behind the stolen names of innocent citizens; and
(4) takes this opportunity to applaud this great initiative by the Minister of Home Affairs and her continued commitment to turn around the Department of Home Affairs.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Mr O DE BEER
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mrs R M RASMENI
Mr O DE BEER: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the Council-
(1) debates the high unemployment rate ...
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Your microphone, please. Can you switch on the member's microphone? I call the next speaker, Mr Mokgoro, while they fix your microphone. Which microphone is fine now? Is your microphone fine now, Mr De Beer? Then please go to the podium. It's alright; you can continue. Mr De Beer, take a seat there. When he's finished, you can go ahead.
Mr G G MOKGORO
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP
OPENING OF NEWLY REFURBISHED TB UNIT AT WEST END HOSPITAL
(Draft Resolution)
Mr G G MOKGORO: Chair, I move without notice:
That the Council-
(1) notes the opening of a newly refurbished tuberculosis hospital unit by Acting Premier Grizelda Cjiekella at West End Hospital in Kimberley;
(2) further notes that the West End Hospital TB unit, which previously accommodated 30 beds, was revamped and upgraded and led to its capacity being increased to 70 beds; and
(3) takes this opportunity to applaud the Global Fund, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the SA National TB Control Programme for availing the funding for the additional 40-bed unit.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Mr O DE BEER
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 51
Mr G G MOKGORO
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN SOUTH AFRICA
(Draft Resolution)
Mr O DE BEER: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of the Cope:
That the Council-
(1) debates the high unemployment rate in South Africa, which has reached...
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: That is a notice of motion. We are busy with motions without notice, Mr De Beer.
MOTIONS OF CONDOLENCE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 52
MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
ORATIONS OF CONDOLENCE ON THE PASSING OF HON MS F M NYANDA, MP, AND HON MR R L PADAYACHIE, MP
Mr D V BLOEM: Chairperson, during my time as chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services I worked with Comrade Florence Nyanda, who served in the NCOP and in that committee from 2004. I have a very clear recollection of her passionate devotion to the welfare of women and children, particularly those in prison. She was committed to women's issues. That goes without saying. For a long period of her life she served as a member of the ANC Women's League.
Cope's president, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, and the party in general were deeply saddened by the news of her passing after a short illness. In a statement released by Cope, the president expressed his deep sadness at losing such a dedicated person who fought for freedom in our lifetime. On behalf of Cope we are saying to the Nyanda family that you are not alone in having lost someone special. The entire country has suffered a loss.
Regarding the late Minister Roy Padayachie, like many of us he started out as a student activist in the 1960s and 1970s. From there he began to participate in community organisations like the Durban Housing Action Committee. He was also an executive committee member of the Natal Indian Congress. He was an active member of the United Democratic Front. I personally worked with the late Minister in the structures of the UDF in those days. We will really miss such a good and dedicated freedom fighter, who sacrificed so much in his life for all of us to enjoy what we are enjoying today. May his soul rest in peace.
Mr D A WORTH
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 52
Mr D V BLOEM
Mr D A WORTH: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA and myself personally, I wish to extend our condolences to the family of Ms Florence Nyanda, affectionately known to me as "Flo" and to some of her friends and colleagues as "Ma".
Florence Nyanda passed away on Saturday, 5 May, in her home in the province of Mpumalanga after battling a long illness accompanied by much pain. She first became an ANC Member of Parliament in 2004 and served on various committees within the NCOP. I had the privilege of being on one with her. She then went on to the NA. Hamba kahle, Florence Nyanda, hamba kahle! [Go well!] We will miss you.
Prince M M M ZULU
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 52
Mr D A WORTH
IsiZulu:
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, abahlonishwa abakhona phakathi kwethu, egameni leNkatha yeNkululeko, sizwakalaisa ukudabuka eqenjini elibusayo ngokulahlekelwa ngabantu ebelibabeke ezikhundleni ezehlukene zikahulumeni.
Ukuhamba kukaNgqongqoshe u-Roy - njengomuntu odabuka kulesiya sifundazwe engizalelwe kusona - kwasishaqisa sonke uma sizwa ukuthi udlule emhlabeni ehambe ngomsebenzi. Kanjalo nokuhamba kukadadewethu u-Florence,njengeLungu lePhalamende kumbe isiShayamthetho, nakho kuyizindaba ezingabanga mnandi uma sizizwa ngoba bonke laba bantu benze umnikelo obonakalayo ezweni lethu, basebenza emakomidini ePhalamende ahlukene kwazekwaba sekupheleni kwezinsuku zabo.
Eqenjini elibusayo nasemindenini yabo, siyanikhalela ngokudabuka ukuthi nilahlekelwe ngabantu esingakaze sizwe chashaza ngabo ekuphatheni kwabo umsebenzi kahulumeni. Abantu abanjengalabo-ke, abazinikele ezindabeni zabantu, yibona bantu esiye sidinge ukuthi baphile isikhathi eside ukuze basize abantu ngoba njengoba nonke nilapha nithunyelwe amaqembu enu ukuze nikwazi ukusiza abantu abahluphekayo kulekli laseNingizimu Afrika. Sengathi bangaba zinyanya ezinhle, babe ngamadlozi amahle, baphendule imiqondo yenu nonembeza benu ukuze nisebenzele izwe ngokwethembeka. Ngiyabonga.
Mr A LEES
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 52
Prince M M M ZULU
Mr A LEES: Mr Chairman, members of the House, Ministers present, it is with sadness that I rise to speak to you on the passing of Minister Radhakrishna Lutchmana Padayachie, popularly known as Roy. Roy was from my province, KwaZulu-Natal, KZN. He was a special person, held in very high esteem by the party he served steadfastly, unwaveringly and loyally. His demeanour, mannerisms and utmost humility was a living expression of the character traits of his name, that is, truthful, morally upright, mischievous and humorous.
He was one of the leading political architects of the Natal Indian Congress and for this he was harassed virtually on daily basis by both Boss and later by the Special Branch. He shared many a story of his endeavours to evade arrest. He and his family paid a high price when he served time on Robben Island.
Our sincerest condolences go to Roy's family. You can be proud of the highest honour accorded to him on his death and the legacy he left behind. He lived his life as a true Gandhian. May he rest in peace.
Ms M G BOROTO
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 53
Mr A LEES
Ms M G BOROTO: Chairperson, I thank the hon Minister Sexwale and hon Deputy Minister Zou Kota-Fredericks for their presence. Ladies and gentlemen and special delegates, our movement is in mourning and our hearts are bleeding with profound sorrow and grief. We have seen three of our beloved comrades pass away and being laid to rest in one week.
A few days after losing one of the bravest champions of our continued quest to dismantle the legacy of apartheid settlement in our country, Comrade Sicelo Shiceka, our nation woke up to the tragic news of the death of yet another loyal servant of our people, Comrade Roy Padayachie. He died in Ethiopia while attending a meeting of the African Peer Review Mechanism on behalf of President Jacob Zuma.
While our hearts were bleeding and our movement was in mourning, we lost yet another veteran of our struggle for gender equality, Ma Florence Nyanda, whose life, words and deeds were the embodiment of a true cadre of the ANC and a loyal servant of the people of Mpumalanga.
Allow me to pay homage and express our profound condolences to the families and friends of the three fallen cadres of our movement: Comrade Sicelo Shiceka, Comrade Roy Padayachie and Comrade Florence Nyanda, whose roll calls today give us sombre assurance that their lives will remain interlinked with the story of our movement's relentless journey to bring freedom to our people.
Those whose lives crossed the path travelled by Comrade Roy will attest with the utmost assurance that his life was testimony to that of a devoted soldier. He died with his boots on and in full paraphernalia; a fearless warrior who held on to his spear until his last moment.
Comrade Roy served the ANC with distinction. He remained an instrumental figure in our quest to mobilise Indian workers to strike in the sugar-cane plantations, coal mines and factories through the Natal Indian Congress. He stood tall among the people of the former Natal province who took up the spear to wage a concerted fight against apartheid and all its ailments. All of us in the ANC can say for sure that with the help of the relentless effort and unwavering commitment of Comrade Roy, we defeated apartheid and all its manifestations. We thank his family for sharing him with us and the people of South Africa.
I lack the boldness of spirit to rise today and tell the story of the journey travelled by Ma'am Florence Nyanda. I say this because I am still seeking the courage to overcome the grief of losing such a great veteran of the struggle of the people of Mpumalanga. Her life was a living monument of a true servant who chose to be nothing but a champion in the fight against the anguish and suffering experienced by her people. I too am still seeking the courage to rise from the sorrow and emptiness shared by the people of Mpumalanga and women across South Africa, as well as the country as a whole, for losing a relentless voice crying out against their suffering.
Ma'am Florence Nyanda was a champion for women's rights and gender equality. Her illustrious political involvement in the struggle against apartheid is the epitome of a servant of the people; one who rose against and surmounted the travesties of growing up in a repressive apartheid society, which was characterised by the deep-rooted racial, cultural and gender discrimination that faced many of the women of her time.
She worked tirelessly, adding a formidable voice to those that were speaking out against the sufferings facing many women in Mpumalanga and the country. She worked for the ANC underground during apartheid and remained a significant champion of the transitional government after the integration of KaNgwane and the former Transvaal province into what is known today as Mpumalanga province. After serving on various transitional councils, she joined the Mpumalanga Legislature before moving to the NCOP and subsequently to the NA to lend her voice to our relentless national quest to protect women and children.
I want to thank the Nyanda family for sharing her life with our movement and the people of South Africa. We say a fond farewell to this pulse of our movement. We also thank her for her sacrifice and tireless work in fighting for our people.
In conclusion, let me say that they ran the race, they fought and they became victors. All that awaits them is the crown shared with Bertha Gxowa, Ida Mntwana, Lillian Ngoyi, Dorothy Nyembe, Helen Joseph, Charlotte Maxeke, John Langalibalele Dube, Alfred Xuma, James Sebe Moroka, Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo ...
IsiNdebele:
... nabanye abezimu bethu be-ANC, sithi abalale ngokuthula. Ngiyathokoza. [Iwahlo.]
Debate concluded.
The Council observed a moment of silence for hon Mr R L Padayachie, MP and hon Ms F M Nyanda, MP, all members standing.
FIRST ORDER- THE MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 54
ORATIONS OF CONDOLENCE
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Vote No 31 - Human Settlements:
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, this is not my maiden speech in the NCOP. I spoke here for the first time as a provincial leader from Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging region. I then spoke as the Premier of Gauteng. I have also spoken in the NCOP as a Minister before. I saw on the screens that we are required to take our fingerprints. Regrettably, I didn't do so. The last time I did that, I ended up on an island not far from here for a very long time!
Deputy Minister, Ms Z A Kota-Fredricks, on whose behalf I read this speech, chairperson of the select committee, hon Sibande, with whom we work very well, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, the Human Settlements sector in South Africa remains one of the most challenging in the social and economic environment. This mirrors worldwide trends, as the population explosion continues to create an increasing demand within the property market for well-located landand housing.
This Human Settlements Budget Vote occurs within the following context: First, the economic performance of the country as reflected by the gross domestic product growth rate is still around 3%, far away from the 7% where we should have been by now as a country. Second, inflation, which affects the price of everything in the country, is at 6,3%, where we don't want it to be.
Third, the essential building materials for housing construction have recorded price increases of above inflation. Fourth, in addition to the increased costs of building materials, the building industry is hit by increases in transportation costs and the price of labour. All these things add to the price of our product, which is housing.
Fifth, the price of money itself, which we call the interest rate and which is at 9%, is a burden on working people, particularly the poor. The working class is unable to access housing loans, mortgages and bonds. Sixth, unacceptably high levels of unemployment still persist at 25%. A 25% unemployment level is a threat to loans and mortgages but also to those who don't have any access to homes. They have no jobs.
Furthermore, the construction sector, in which we are located, and the property market has shown a marginal improvement of 2,6% as a result of the 2010 World Cup. In the absence thereof, it is difficult to see the construction sector going forward but, of course, there are good stories around the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission. I will come to that because Human Settlements is also part of that.
Last but not least is the government fiscus, from which the Human Settlements budget is drawn. This has grown by a mere 10% since last year, while the housing demand has grown exponentially.
Members of the House, you all know that the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, made the following call in respect of belt tightening: "In harnessing all the resources at our disposal, we have to do more with less. We have to work smarter and harder." We agree with him.
Let us examine the period under review. In our 2011 budget speech we committed to turning the corner in respect of the following three priorities: one, accelerated delivery; two, improved co-ordination; three, greater clarity on the severity of the problems confronting the country's residential drive. I am glad to record the following as progress made in respect of these three commitments:
In 2009, we committed to delivering over 200 000 housing opportunities per annum and in that year we achieved that target. In 2011, we spent 98% of our budget, which delivered close to 180 000 housing opportunities. You will understand why we were lower. It is because of the factors that I have indicated. The price of one house today has gone up while the budget remained more or less the same.
The provincial performance is as follows: Eastern Cape, 18 000 houses; Free State, 15 000; Gauteng, which is the biggest, 38 000; Limpopo, 15 000; Mpumalanga, more than 7 000; Northern Cape, 5 000; North West, 27 000; Western Cape, 18 000.
I also greet the two MECs who are here, the MEC from KwaZulu-Natal and the MEC from the Western Cape. As members of this House, they will speak later.
This decreased figure is the result of the above-mentioned factors - inflation, the increased price of building materials and the increased costs of transportation and labour experienced by the building industry.
In addition to these adverse factors, R2,2 billion was spent on the requisite infrastructure, geo-tech evaluations, feasibility studies and forward planning. This figure includes more than R400 million of the budget spent on the rectification of shoddy houses that predate the year 2002. With this amount we could have built 7 000 houses. We don't have time to waste on this rectification campaign. It is a waste of time and we are firmly putting measures in place to make sure that this is forestalled.
In the 2011 budget speech we acknowledged that government cannot do the task alone. We called upon the private sector, many high-net-worth individuals and captains of industry to come forward and say, "I too can contribute". The response was a successful launch at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in September 2011 of the campaign now known countrywide as "Each One Settle One". We stole the slogan from the young people of the past: Each One Teach One.
The department's turn-around strategy has now been completed. Congratulations to the director-general, Mr Thabane Zulu, and his team.
In line with decisions of Cabinet as well as processes of the department to align various legislative frameworks and interventions around human settlements, the following milestones have been achieved: one, the Estate Agency Affairs Act has been transferred from the Department of Trade and Industry to Human Settlements; two, the President has assented to the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act and the Community Schemes Ombud Service Act; three, the Home Loans and Mortgage Disclosure Act polices the banks on how to issue money. The setting up of the Office of Disclosure, in terms of the HLAMDA, has been completed with the appointment of Danny Jordaan as its chairman
The Rental Housing Amendment Bill has recently gone through the NA and is to be referred to this House. Progress on Outcome 8, which is the basis of the contract between me as Minister and the President, is going very, very well. In the period under review, priorities reflect significant advances in the upgrading of slums, access to basic services, accreditation of key municipalities and land acquisition for human settlements. These are the key points that are part of Outcome 8, the agreement between me and the President.
In the period under review we have created over 76 000 job opportunities. About 50 000 were direct jobs, while 5 000 were indirect and 22 000 were induced jobs.
In the same period, significant projects were delivered and no province remains untouched. I am happy to say this in this House. I am referring to the following: Lakehaven at eThekwini, a beautiful project in KwaZulu-Natal; the Brandfort Women's Build project in the Free State; Mazista at Swartruggens in the North West; Seshego at Polokwane in Limpopo – these are all major projects, which were also driven nationally; Klarinet at eMalahleni in Mpumalanga; the China Square project at Kimberley in the Northern Cape; the Jabulani Hostel redevelopment in Soweto, Gauteng - this was in response to a push from some members of the IFP, who kept on asking us to improve the hostels; the Joe Slovo densification project in Langa, Western Cape, which is monitored by the Constitutional Court and is a success, as was seen by members who visited last week; and Southernwood at Buffalo City in Eastern Cape.
Regarding the rooting out of corruption and maladministration, the new focus in our current investigations is on low-cost housing construction contracts. In this regard, more than 50 housing projects, with a value of R4,2 billion, were identified. Over 40 investigations have been completed and 17 are ongoing.
Provinces are participating in the fight against corruption, with Limpopo taking the lead, incidentally, in respect of the following: 24 contractors have been blacklisted for shoddy workmanship and nondelivery. More than R1 million has already been recovered from that province and we still want more. These cases have also been referred to the Special Investigating Unit.
Regarding public servants in all three spheres of government who committed housing subsidy-related misconduct and fraud, more than 290 of our own people in these spheres have been arrested. Of these, 240 have been found guilty and over 220 are facing internal disciplinary action. We are unhappy to give you these figures. Our job is to be involved in human settlements and not to be policemen. We wish that this type of statistic didn't have to come to this House. We want to give you good statistics on housing, not on how we deal with malfeasance within our department. Nearly R30 million has been recovered from those who were involved in corrupt activities.
Ms Thami Mpotulo, former Chief Director of the National Sanitation Programme, was found guilty of dereliction of duty and summarily dismissed. The former CEO of the National Home Builders Registration Council, Sipho Mashinini, underwent disciplinary action and the presiding judge has recommended dismissal, which is now in the hands of the NHBRC board.
A former SAPS detective and top SIU investigator, who was supposed to investigate the NHBRC, ended up in a strange recruitment process within the NHBRC, where the investigator was being recruited by the investigated. She has been dismissed with immediate effect. She is also the subject of a criminal investigation by the SIU itself.
With reference to the Each One Settle One campaign that I referred to earlier, we have invited a number of people from the private sector to get involved. I am happy to say that Anglo Platinum, which is the country and the world's number-one platinum company, has committed itself and we opened some houses together. These are very beautiful houses for members of the National Union Mine of Workers, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA and the United Association of SA. This will involve 20 000 houses in both Limpopo and the North West. This was done by us and Anglo Platinum together. That is what we mean by private-sector involvement. We congratulate them on that.
Gold Fields, a company that I was very close to, and BHP Billiton have also shown interest, as well as other companies that came forward.
Although the response from JSE-listed companies was lukewarm, we anticipate that there will be other responses. There have been considerable responses from private individuals and smaller companies. Over 22% of enquiries and pledges to Each One Settle One were from individuals who wanted to build homes for their domestic workers, while 15% were from individuals who wished to offer technical expertise. Overall, we take this opportunity to compliment all those who have made pledges for recognising that government cannot shoulder the responsibility alone.
On addressing the entrenched system of apartheid infrastructure, I spoke about the PICC, of which Human Settlements is now a part. In that regard I want to say the following: The New Economic Growth Path has identified energy, transport, roads and communication, as well as human settlements as very important key areas of focus. This has been given a further boost by the President himself, who invited Human Settlements to be centre stage at the PICC. The reason for this is that it has now dawned on all of us in government that, after all, human settlement is the biggest infrastructural project that any country can have.
It stands to reason therefore that any planning or any similar attempt that does not recognise the negative effects of the apartheid system, which effectively was the use of infrastructure like roads, amenities, facilities and residential space to keep racial groups apart, is bound to fail because you will perpetuate apartheid by repeating its mistakes. This would be completely contrary to the vision of a nonracial society and against the philosophy of a developmental state. It is for that reason that where we live, stay and work must be associated with the requisite infrastructure. The decision to position Human Settlements as one of the key drivers of the PICC has made our work of co-ordinating integration with other departments, particularly those handling the bulk services, much easier.
Let us talk about sanitation. Sanitation, which provides the most basic protection to the privacy and dignity of citizens, is an internationalised programme through the UN Millennium Development Goals, as agreed to by all UN member states. South Africa is a member state and a signatory of the UN Millennium Development Goals. We, together with other nations of the world, have signed an accord on sanitation. Sanitation is now an internationalised question.
In Human Settlements we say that if sanitations has been internationalised, it cannot be left to the people of Makhaza and Moqhaka in our own country. We cannot localise what already is an international programme. For this reason, I am happy to say that Cabinet has agreed that sanitation now takes centre stage as a national strategic project. In the PICC, this programme has been elevated to a national priority. Incidentally, this is also one of the key recommendations of the task team led by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, which will be made public within the next few weeks. I have now received the report from her.
With regard to crystallising the Human Settlements vision 2030 and developing possible strategies, we have to ask ourselves certain questions. One of them is this: Has the time not perhaps arrived for us to use sizeable established contractors to build our homes? We are leaving our people to the designs of what we call the "shovel, wheelbarrow and bakkie brigades". I told the President that when we build huge power stations, harbours likeCoega and huge transportation networks and roads, as we are going to do in the PICC, we employ big companies, accompanied by their empowerment players. Yet we leave the people who voted for us and brought us here to the devices of builders pushing wheelbarrows.
We have to ask ourselves why so much of our money still has to be spent on rectification. It is for this reason that we would like to have a paradigm shift so that we use big companies, accompanied by their empowerment players, to build houses. The debate on this idea is open.
We are discussing, side by side with the Department of Public Works, the approach of also having a government construction company. I know a motion was put here that this option should be looked at very carefully. The debate is open - we are ready to hear your views as well.
We are doing a lot in respect of capacity building. In this regard, we have accredited municipalities. All the metros are accredited to receive money directly from the NA in order to build houses for us. A number of other municipalities that are not metros will get funds. There are implications for provinces as well, because money goes straight to the cities; to the municipalities. However, the approach of Human Settlements is to monitor that money, so that we can account to you.
With regard to access to housing finance, the department will continue to provide support and find better solutions to issues of affordability through social housing, affordable rental and the promotion of home ownership. The Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme, which was announced by the President in his state of the nation address, is now in place for people who are earning up R15 000. These are people who in the past found themselves in what is known as the gap market. They are the people who could not access subsidies because they were too rich but could not access bonds either because they were too poor. These are the people we are now locating. More than two million civil servants qualify for this type of finance.
Negotiations on the Home Ownership Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee Fund, to assist ordinary working people and those in the middle class outside of the gap market to obtain their own homes, will be concluded in October. We are amalgamating all three of our development finance institutions and Cabinet will finalise it on the basis of a memorandum that I will bring to it.
On asset creation, the Department of Human Settlements is a key player in the property market. A recent study found that of the six million registered residential properties in the deeds registry, a total of 1,44 million are government-subsidised houses. This means that government builds more than any entity in South Africa. With the budget you give us, we, as government, actually move in the property market in South Africa, more so than any private company. Government is the biggest builder in South Africa. Government is the biggest driver of the economy in terms of construction.
About 49% of registered, subsidised properties are located in the eight metropolitan cities of South Africa. Ekurhuleni, at 141 000, Cape Town, at 130 000, and the City of Johannesburg, at 130 000, have the highest concentration.
The value of a title deed is obvious and should not be underestimated. We want our people to play in and be part of the property market. We also want our people to be part of the financial market. If you have a house, it is an asset. It is a form of capital that allows people to be in the property market as well as the financial market. The stumbling block for many people is the title deed. So what is this Minister doing to ensure that people have title deeds? We took a decision as Minmec last week. We are committed to ensuring that we close all loopholes around title deeds this coming year, so that people can have their title deeds, which would entitle them to be players in the housing market.
What is least understood but is nevertheless a major contribution to asset formation for beneficiaries is this: Whenever government allocates a house to a person, it also allocates land. A total of 78 000 hectares has already been distributed to people because when you give them a house, you give them land. Land on which a house has been built will never come back to this government or anybody else. It belongs to the player; the owner. Therefore, the title deed is ever so important.
Let me now come to the budget itself. The budget for 2012-13 has increased from R22 billion to R25,2 billion. This is a 10% increase from the previous budget. The human settlements development grant for provinces, which provides funding for human settlements, has been allocated R15 billion. The urban settlements development grant, which allows for eight metropolitan municipalities to improve efficiency and achieve a co-ordinated approach to the building environment, has been allocated R7,4 billion. The rural households infrastructure programme has been allocated R868 million.
The Social Housing Regulatory Authority has been allocated R2,1 billion for the rental programme. The National Urban Reconstruction Agency and the Housing Development Agency have been allocated R100 million each to accelerate housing delivery.
In conclusion, in 2009, after having visited projects in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and so on, as well as here in the Western Cape, we made commitments to rectify the shoddy houses in Sweetwater, to invest in infrastructure in Diepsloot and to fast-track the Joe Slovo project,which is on courseto the tune of R400 million. When we complete the project, we will be inviting the Constitutional Court itself, under whose authority this project has been monitored so that it can hold the three spheres of government - ourselves, the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town – accountable, to benchmark how far we have gone in respecting the decisions of the Constitutional Court on behalf of ordinary people.
To conclude, I thank the select committee, led by the hon Sibande; the Human Settlements team from all nine provinces, under our hardworking MECs and their HODs; leaders of accredited municipalities; the DG and his team, whom I praised earlier; the boards and CEOs of our institutions; and the communities who are active citizens. Yes, they can participate in demonstrations from time to time, as long as they don't affect the rights of other people.
The National Planning Commission noted the following:
Transforming human settlements is a large and complex agenda, requiring far-reaching policy changes and shifts in household, business and institutional practices.
We concur. In spite of all the challenges, Human Settlements is gradually changing the residential landscape of our country in order to restore the dignity of the people.
Mr H B GROENEWALD
MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 55
THE MINSITER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Mr H B GROENEWALD: Chairperson, Minister, hon members of the NCOP and guests, housing remains one of the biggest challenges for government and will continue to be a big challenge for as long as there is no political will and political leadership to get service delivery in place for the poor and disadvantaged people of South Africa.
The hon Minister Tokyo Sexwale (if I read the newspaper correctly, the future President of South Africa) said last year, in this august House as well as in the media, that every one who is busy with fraud and stealing from the poor will be taken on and sent to jail. He further made promises that the process of human settlement will speed up in all communities of South Africa.
With the NCOP's Parliament to the People in November 2011 at Nqutu in KwaZulu-Natal, and six months after the speech and promise made by Minister, still nothing had happened in that area. In one of the villages, 500 houses not older than 10 years were destroyed and demolished due to bad workmanship. Not even the foundations remained.
The DA agrees that all South Africans deserve a better life, a house with infrastructure, development to uplift the life quality of people of South Africa, the expansion of social and economic infrastructure, and the building of cohesive, caring and sustainable communities. When we do oversight visits throughout South Africa, I am afraid that all these beautiful words on paper seem to have come to nothing.
People complain about corrupt councillors who rent out Reconstruction and Development Programme houses; some families who have more than one RDP house; foreigners who get houses before South African citizens who applied long before they did; contracts that are not completed by contractors; contracts and tenders given to the friends and family of mayors, councillors and municipal managers; and contracts that are delayed because of nonpayment by municipalities and provincial legislatures.
The MEC of the North West Province said that the Department of Human Settlement had challenges in dealing with the illegal occupation of complete housing units across the province but that the department was working tirelessly to reach a resolution and provide housing to its rightful beneficiaries. Although people have been arrested and others convicted, the Special Investigating Unit investigated house projects only after allegations that councillors were selling RDP houses, that beneficiaries were renting them out and that public servants were occupying RDP houses even though they did not qualify for them.
In Vryburg, R86 million was allocated for 470 houses in Extension 25. By mid-2010 only four of these houses had been completed satisfactorily, while 300 were uninhabitable. The foundations and walls did not conform to specifications and building standards. People are moving in and out of these half-built houses and the contractor stopped any activity to this day. In the meantime, a new project is coming up in Extension 28 and 29, and fraud is already expected on the new site.
In Meriting Extension 3 and 4 in Rustenburg, government spent more than R28 million on 1 900 low-cost houses, but they are so shoddily built that they will be demolished. Not a single house has been completed. Of the R45 million allocated, R28 million has been paid to contractors. It is unsafe for any human being to occupy those houses, whether they were completed or not. An amount of R71 million will be needed to rectify all the houses - the whole project has to be redone.
More than R400 million of the budget of the Department of Human Settlements last year was spent on the rectification of shoddy houses that predate the year 2002. This money could otherwise have been used to construct 7 000 housing units. There are more fraud and housing problems in Kanana Extension 14 in the North West, Khuma Extension 11, Jouberton Extention 24, and so I can carry on. Letsopa in the Tswaing Municipality also needs investigation. Many of the problems I mentioned have been there since 2010.
One of the headaches the department has is the way in which the National Home Builders Registration Council handles quality control when new houses are built. A certain percentage of the money for new houses is paid to the NHBRC to see if the quality is up to standard. Unfortunately, they make use of unskilled inspectors and officials are never on site. Right there everything goes wrong.
The department must establish an open, efficient administration that will not tolerate corruption and will prioritise the delivery of the basic preconditions essential for creating opportunities for all. In conclusion, believe and act as if it were impossible to fail. [Time expired.]
Mr M P SIBANDE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Takes: 55 & 56
Mr H B GROENEWALD
Mr M P SIBANDE: Chairperson, hon Minister, Mr Tokyo Sexwale, hon Deputy Minister, visitors and hon members, in South Africa the human settlements development philosophy played itself out in the Freedom Charter, when our people proclaimed:
There shall be houses, security and comfort. All people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security, ... slums shall be demolished, and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crèches and social centres.
As the ANC, even as far back as 1955, we had the foresight that sustainable human settlements would become common practice in the future. Moreover, we believed that it was the responsibility of the state to facilitate access to shelter.
However, in practice, the human settlements philosophy was first adopted at the UN Global Habitat Summit in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976. As South Africa, we followed through with this human settlements philosophy in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg. We then committed ourselves to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, in terms of which targets and time frames for service delivery were decided. Our commitment to sustainable human settlements has permeated our entire transformation project and found itself in the ANC's 52nd National Conference Resolution.
However, the approval of our Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Sustainable Human Settlements in 2005 and the revised National Housing Code marked the shift in government from "shelter" to "human settlements". The picture of how we could go about restoring the dignity of our people was beginning to play itself out clearly. Our vision of promoting human settlements that would build cohesive, sustainable and caring communities was set in stone when President Jacob Zuma established a new Ministry for Human Settlements within which the Department of Human Settlements would be housed.
The transition to a human settlements framework was a major step in responding to the growing need to prioritise the national Budget towards greater investment in social infrastructure. In line with this paradigm shift from housing to human settlements was a major operational inclusion in the form of a sanitation component. This was a basic necessity that the masses had been denied for a long time. Some of the stakeholders that have been dabbling in human settlements have not been able to comprehend how sanitation provision, along with electricity and water, has helped restored the dignity of our people.
The province of the Western Cape is a sad example of where the state of housing for the majority of the poor has not improved. Even the Mayor of Cape Town has slammed the DA-controlled city. Cape Town is only clean where big business operates – it is very dirty where poor people live. The people in Gugulethu, Nyanga, Athlone, Manenberg, Bonteheuwel and Sir Lowry's Pass, etc, are suffering.
I would like to quote this extract from Lamentations, which former President Comrade Nelson Mandela included in a speech he made at Moria on 20 April 1992:
Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us:
consider, and behold our reproach,
Our land is turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners,
We are orphans and fatherless, our Mothers are as widows,
We have to pay for our water; and our wood is sold unto us,
Our necks are under the yoke of oppression, we labour, and we have no rest.
A resident of Mfuleni recently prayed for his children to step out of the front door and onto dry soil just once during his lifetime. People are suffering. It is not as if national government is not allocating money to this province and to this city. Because it is a caring government, every year it allocates more money for services to vulnerable people. Something is wrong.
IsiZulu:
Sihlalo, kulesifundazwe saseMpumalanga Koloni kukwamachanca kwampunz' idlemini, uchakide uhlolile imamba yelukile, noDladla sewaphenduka uDludlu.
English:
At the corner of Modderdam Road and Stellenbosch Arterial Road, next to the house popularly known as the "green house" ...
IsiZulu:
... kunemikhukhu. Abanye abantu kumaqembu aphikisayo uma bebona ihhashi kuleyo ndawo bacabanga ngamahhashi omjaho. Uma bebona izinqola ezidonswa yilawo mahhashi kubona kubonakala kwangathi yizimoto okuthiwa ama-Lamborghini apakwe ezindlini zabo e-Constantia bavele bakhohlwe ngesimo sendawo abasibonayo kanye nendlala ekhona.
English:
Here 47 backyard dwellers were forced to live in a 5m by 4m shack made of plastic. There were no windows and furniture. During the night, parents had to stand because there was no place to lie down to sleep. This was part of a campaign to clean up an area called Mfuleni. With the cold winter that is approaching, we still do not know whether these people and their babies now have a proper roof over their head. Where are the toilets for these people? Where is the clean water? Where is the electricity? We all know that poor people do not get these services in the same way that those in wealthy areas do.
This is a policy debate and we are talking about these things to alert the Minister to where the money in his budget should go. National government is very aware of the challenges that slow down delivery in problem areas. It has therefore designed the budgetary allocation in such a way that these problem areas can be given focused attention.
One such area is Khutsong. Unfortunately this settlement was established on land that is not suitable for sustainable human settlement. It has caused serious problems in the past. We note that the national department has identified this area as a priority project. The Division of Revenue Bill therefore identifies Khutsong as one of the areas where money is allocated for the Gauteng provincial department of human settlements and the Johannesburg Metro to deliver on specific human settlements issues. We would like to know when the roll-out of this commitment will begin, including time frames for completion. The Select Committee on Public Services has already programmed its third term for this year to visit these and other areas in the Eastern Cape to monitor the delivery of services to these communities.
While efforts to deal with corrupt practices are welcomed, there is consensus that the scale and level of corruption is still unacceptably high. While it is noted that all provinces have compiled business plans on how they will implement their projects, the monitoring and accountability structures still remain very weak in most provinces. While it is noted that there will now be programmes and project management units in all provinces linked to the national department, one would like to be favoured with information on the time frames of when these structures will be fully functional, including what role and function the PMUs will play in ensuring that public funds really do trickle down to the poorest of the poor. The issue of deadlines and the mandate still remain to be tested.
Common priorities have meant that we work closely with the national department to plan housing and find mechanisms for addressing the growing number of informal settlements. Underpinning these development efforts is the shared understanding among government departments that the provision of service delivery of homes to our people is not and cannot be the responsibility of government alone.
Job creation and human development are mutually inclusive; it does not help to provide endless training...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon member, I'm reminding you of Rule 45(1). Time is up.
Mr M P SIBANDE: Yes, Madam. In conclusion, the ANC supports the Budget Vote. [Time expired.]
Mr B MADIKIZELA (Western Cape)
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 57
Mr P SIBANDE
Mr B MADIKIZELA (Western Cape): Chairperson, national Minister and Deputy Minister, chairperson of the select committee, my colleagues, hon MECs and members of the House, the delivery of integrated human settlements is a multipronged approach requiring the balancing of social, economic and geographic factors. As Minister Sexwale pointed out in his recent 2012 budget speech, there is a large demand for Human Settlements to address the inequalities of the past and limited resources to address this demand. Therefore any attempt to politicise the issue of human settlements would be irresponsible indeed.
In the Western Cape, around 500 000 households are waiting for housing opportunities. After the grant restructuring we can currently deliver around 15 000 top structures per year with our available budget. Compounding this issue is the rising cost of construction, making it increasingly difficult for companies to meet the requirements of tender specifications. Nationally, the rate of housing delivery has decreased due to limited resources and increasing costs.
In response, we have shifted our emphasis from providing houses for a few to ensuringthat as many people as possible wait for housing opportunities with access to the basic services of water, sanitation and refuse removal. The Western Cape government's concept of "better together" is simply this: providing people with the enabling opportunities of basic services, or a site with basic service infrastructure, in order to create an incremental housing approach over time towards the goal of a permanent structure. In this way, more people will wait for top structures with the dignity of having basic services, rather than a relative few having a service site and a house, and everyone else nothing.
As government, we have the responsibility to use the limited resources we have in a fair and efficient manner, so that we may maximise their effectiveness and deliver the best possible services. With this end in mind, the Western Cape department of human settlements has, since 2009, developed and implemented programmes to ensure more effective and integrated service delivery.
The Housing Demand Database Improvement Programme is an integrated database system that has been implemented among the 29 municipalities of the Western Cape and co-ordinates and ensures the integrity of data of people waiting for houses. This ensures fair and transparent allocation of housing opportunities and reduces corruption and social conflict.
The Professional Resource Teams are dedicated groups of housing professionals that have been contracted by the department to assist municipalities and the department in the planning and delivery of human settlements projects. These teams address the capacity constraints that so often derail projects over their five-year life cycles. The Project Management Unit is an information technology system that allows for the tracking and monitoring of the hundreds of projects over which the department has oversight, and over the entire life cycle. Any blockages are quickly flagged and can be resolved, ensuring the quickest delivery possible.
A study undertaken by the department in March 2011 indicated that since 1994, 86 394 of approximately 250 000 housing subsidy beneficiaries in the Western Cape had not received transfer of the properties allocated to them in 832 housing projects. The department has since appointed a service provider to address this issue and to ensure that people have their title deeds and can live with the dignity and economic benefits of security of tenure.
In his 2012 state of the nation address, President Zuma stated that a R1 billion guarantee fund would be available for people in the gap market, or earning in the monthly income band of between R3 500 and R15 000, to obtain credit to buy houses. The President stated that this fund would become operational from 1 April 2012. Two of our projects, namely Our Pride and Nuwe Begin, already have units available for this market. The City of Cape Town will also deliver in Scottsdene and Pelican Park.
We have arranged a workshop on affordable housing to take place in May 2012. All relevant stakeholders will be invited to clarify the way forward to more effectively service the gap market.The province, together with the National Housing Finance Corporation and major banks, will be rolling out the Finance Linked Subsidy Programme, or Flisp, to assist households that earn too much to qualify for government's free housing. We view the rolling out of this programme as an urgent priority. There are about two million public servants, including teachers and policemen, who are currently unable to buy houses, and this market needs to be unlocked. This will also reduce the unlawful buying and selling of subsidised houses at reduced rates, help create communities that pay for their services and create a formalised secondary property market that allows for upward mobility of the traditional beneficiaries of fully subsidised housing.
In conclusion, I am proud of what we have achieved in this province. In close co-operation with the national Department of Human Settlements and the City of Cape Town, the R400 million high-density Joe Slovo housing development is nearing completion and will deliver 2 639 units, which will be formally handed over next month. The Boys Town project in Crossroads will deliver over 1 500 units and the first units will be handed over on 24 May 2012. We have had to negotiate complex social issues, attempts to derail the project, community violence, employment issues and many stoppages to reach this point where the people who need them most are finally ready to receive their houses.
The R219 million Nuwe Begin housing project will deliver 1 200 Breaking New Ground houses and 591 gap-market housing units. The ceremonial handover will be on 28 May. Nuwe Begin is a perfect example of integrated human settlements because it includes social amenities such as parks, libraries and transport. We recently marked the handover of 1 588 units in the Drommedaris project in Paarl, which cost about R113 million. With these successes under our belt, the implementation of programmes to continually improve delivery and the focus on access to basic services for all by 2014, I am confident that we will continue to serve the people of the Western Cape with excellence.
Mr R PILLAY
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 58
Mr B MADIKIZELA
Mr R PILLAY (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, chairperson of the select committee, my colleague, the MEC from the Western Cape, other MECs present, hon members, this is my maiden speech in this House. I believe there are certain conventions regarding maiden speeches and I hope I do not break them. Let me first say that the hon MEC for the Western Cape is not just from my town but from the farm where I also grew up, and he understands that there is almost an ancestral calling that he must "buyel'ekhaya". [Go back home.] So, I am sure he will honour that in more ways than one.
I must, unfortunately, respond to the hon Groenewald, who referred to the case of Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal. I happen to have been there during the NCOP visit and we did indeed acknowledge the terrible state of that particular project. Let me also point out that I did the research and saw that the project started in 2002. Its original submission was signed off by the then MEC, who happened to have been the DA MEC. [Laughter.] The point I wish to make is that we do not need to point fingers. We need to get rid of shoddy workmanship as a collective. [Applause.]
In KwaZulu-Natal we have about 143 projects that are currently in the construction phase. I can't say yet that all 143 projects are progressing at the right pace and delivering the right quality. That is a challenge for all of us.
We welcome the budget presented by the hon Minister as yet another example of the decisive commitment by our government to face the challenge of transforming the lives of our people, especially the poor. The hon Minister's budget speech did not shy away from the challenges and gave very clear direction for the short, medium and long-term vision of the department.
Hon Minister, your statistics on inflation and other economic data are very instructive. The other side of the argument, as you pointed out, is that if we use our budget wisely and effectively, together with our total infrastructure spend, we can make a massive contribution to not just stabilising our economy but also strengthening it and taking it to new heights. We in KwaZulu-Natal are ready to support you in achieving that objective. Indeed, we must collectively commit to making this effort so successful that we will create a powerful argument and Treasury will be unable to resist our request to increase the budget significantly in future years.
We acknowledge the very significant increase in the quality of houses being built. We endorse the policy changes that made this policy. Policy must continue to be dynamic and evolving. Perhaps we can improve in this regard by consistent and capacitated research. I call for a much more dynamic relationship with our universities - we should have dedicated institutes or at least departments of applied human settlement studies. How much research material do we have on the political economy of informal settlements, on the influence and power of shack lords, or on the vested interests that develop within informal settlements and affect the viability of the solutions we propose? I believe this body of research or expert opinion will be critical also to a more successful presentation of our arguments when dealing with court challenges to our policy frameworks.
The recent Blue Moon Light eviction judgment, which compels municipalities to budget for emergency housing to provide for illegal occupants, is a case in point. Let me be very clear that we subscribe most passionately to equality before the law, which is a principle of our Freedom Charter; the separation of powers, which is a key principle entrenched in the 2006 Constitution; and the independence of the judiciary, which is also a principle contained in the Constitution.
However, the debate about judicial activism versus judicial restraint is a legitimate one and as old as the history of legal jurisprudence itself. There is substantial international experience of these debates in the most advanced democracy. In fact, in the USA currently, health reform plans are being subjected to vigorous attack through judicial processes. There is also a huge public debate that will have an impact on these decisions. In fact, it has been publicly stated that the judiciary may be divided along the lines of judges appointed in the conservative Republican era versus judges appointed in the Democratic era.
The point I am making is that we need to locate these debates correctly and not look at this debate as undermining the fundamental principles. So, there is nothing wrong with the debate, but let the debate be informed. That is why I propose a dedicated effort to do proper research so that objective evidence can be placed before our courts on what are the issues on the ground that inform policy.
We support the principle of the urban settlements development grant, which was properly and scientifically contemplated. I think some of the practical matters need attention, because the money goes directly to the metros and there is a gap in the provinces' ability to exercise proper oversight over that money. It is a bit difficult to plan properly on the provincial side if there isn't that co-ordination and sharing of information - perhaps that is a matter that needs attention.
Also, the municipalities use what is called section 36, which the law provides for dealing with certain cases of urgency or emergency where you need a justifiable case not to follow normal procurement processes. I think that sometimes we throw out the baby with the bath water. Because of the abuse of section 36, which is not right, a fear arises and the delivery process gets paralysed, because we don't want to use section 36. However, until the pipeline of planning is well established, we may need to use it to get our delivery on track in certain municipalities.
I want to briefly mention a project we have in KwaZulu-Natal, called Operation Sukuma Sakhe, which is located in the Premier's Office. It seeks to use antipoverty war rooms in each ward, bringing together all local stakeholders to identify the most deserving cases of poverty - among other aspects of human settlement. Through that transparent method we are able to identify such deserving cases. The community agrees and when it is done there is no argument about unfair selection of beneficiaries. We are able to efficiently direct resources to those who are most in need. Currently, we build about 600 homes in that particular programme, and I think it is going to increase exponentially. It might be useful to study this programme for possible replication in other provinces.
Hon Minister, with regard to your suggestion of using big companies to build houses, I think it is a worthy and legitimate debate. Our smaller contractors might have certain legitimate fears, which would need to be assuaged. But, certainly, I think there is a case for some pilot projects to see if the economies of scale that this would bring can not give great impetus to our delivery.
I am personally very excited about your Each One Settle One campaign. The figure that you've given regarding the 22% of enquiries from people who want to build homes for their domestic helpers is an exciting one. In addition to the logistics of mobilising resources, I think this initiative can make a powerful contribution to social cohesion, and I want to encourage you to do that.
With regard to the Sectional Titles Act, I think this is timeous. In fact, in eThekwini there is a case in court at present where body corporates are not functioning. The allegation is that there are people who wait, then they go in and become administrators - it is organised; in fact, the accusation is that this is a syndicate. They then increase the levies on the basis that they are going to do all kinds of repairs. People default on paying because they can't pay the high levies. They then sue those people, have them evicted and bogusly sell their flats - and then they buy those flats. If you look at the players involved, there is a commonality in the players at each level. So, the serious allegation before court at the moment is that residents complain that they don't have the means to fight, and this law will add great value.
Chairperson, it seems I am out of time. There were a number of other points I wished to add, but I am sure there will be further opportunities. In conclusion, hon Minister and the department, let me assure you of our full support for your Human Settlements vision 2013. I think it is inspiring and it's all about planning - long-term planning, as articulated by the National Planning Commission. We wish you and the department all the best. [Applause.]
Mr S P D SKOSANA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 59
Mr R PILLAY
Mr S P D SKHOSANA (Mpumalanga): Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, hon members of the House and distinguished guests, I am highly honoured and grateful to participate in this policy and budget speech of the hon Minister for the Department of Human Settlements. My speech and inputs will be based on the following theme: Building sustainable human settlements and improving the quality of household life.
There are at least three key and mutually reinforcing systemic realities in our post-1994 democracy that continue daily to reproduce a racialised working class and to broaden poverty and marginalisation. The first is our economic growth trajectory, which remains locked into the same century-long trajectory, previously associated with minority rule.
The second reality is education and training. Eighteen years into our postapartheid democracy, we have become increasingly aware that the former creation of a single education dispensation masked the material reality of a highly unequal and inequitable system that actively reproduced enormous race, class and gender inequalities.
The third reality is the spatial reproduction of racialised, class-based and gender-based underdevelopment and inequality. Just as with education, where the formal establishment of a unitary system disguised an actual highly unequal reality, so with the geographical, spatial features of postapartheid South Africa. Formally, we now have a unitary South Africa and single citizenship, where we all have rights of free mobility and access.
We have formally abolished the Group Areas Act, ethnic zoning, influx control, labour preference areas, curfews and Bantustans. What was once actively and systematically planned by apartheid architects to control the location and mobility of the black majority is now perpetuated on so-called automatic pilot by the following: the land and housing market; speculative property development dominating town planning; the power of big capital in suburban elites to influence the nature of development; and the new liberal "global city" paradigm, which has dominated the administration of many of our cities, overemphasising tourism and global connectivity, international conference centres and the hosting of global events to the relative detriment of transforming the lives of the majority of actual metro citizens.
This perpetuation is further supported by the skewed infrastructure grid - that is, water, roads, energy and information technology -being directed towards serving the interests of the enclaves of privilege and of the water, energy and freight logistic needs of monopolic capital, lowering the costs of doing business for business; by communal land ownership being dominated by conservative patriarchal traditional leadership, in which nominal citizens are reduced to the status of traditional subjects, with particularly discriminatory impact on rural women; by the failures of our "willing seller, willing buyer" land reform programme and the general failure to take seriously rural development based on small family and corporative holdings; and by the perpetuation of dormitory and informal township settlement patterns distant from work, quality education and major Public Service resources.
The 3,1 million RDP houses we have built over 18 years have unintentionally also reinforced the reproduction of these spatial inequalities. The combined impact of all these spatial factors, many of which have been accelerated in the post-1994 period, have compounded and entrenched monopolic capital's hegemony on our country while reproducing systemic spatial and excessively racialised inequality.
Exorbitant land and property prices in favourable localities, for instance, are much more prohibitive barriers to entry for largely black urban and rural poor working class than any functional apartheid pass office. It is my respectful view that a continued post-1994 reproduction of dormitory and informal township settlement patterns lies at the heart of many grave challenges.
These perpetuated spatial realities play an active role in locking the majority of our people into overcrowded and underresourced public services such as schools, colleges, clinics and such infrastructure. They also place a huge mobility and access burden in terms of time, personal security and money on the working class and poor, especially on women, as they seek to access education or work.
I deliberately highlight all these negatives conscious of the fact that this department has successfully introduced the Breaking New Ground policy, which seeks to reverse the afore-mentioned anomalies. In our province, the hon MEC of human settlements, Siphosezwe Masango, has recently described his department as "the tool that can be used to effectively build a truly nonracial South Africa".
We need to move with speed on the BNG projects. It is my pleasure to report that in Mpumalanga we recently completed Klarinet as a good model for the deliberate creation of an integrated and sustainable human settlement. I believe we also need to implement the accreditation framework that seeks to empower municipalities to administer the national housing programme. In fact, we need to review it in order to determine whether the incremental delegation of housing functions to local government is taking place in a manner that will ensure that those municipalities that can do deliver quality human settlements, which will improve the quality of household life and strengthen the dignity of South Africans on an equal and equitable basis.
As a matter of consistency with the Constitution, the accreditation of municipalities to administer the national housing programme has been emphasised as the key government priority in support of the overall principle of co-operative governance. We all know that the rationale behind this move towards accreditation is rooted in the Constitution and can be found further within the logic of good and co-operative governance and the current constraints in housing delivery processes, which are leading to decelerated delivery and persistent provincial budget rollovers.
In December 2007, at the ANC's 52nd National Conference in Polokwane, we resolved to be a democratic and developmental society, in keeping with our Bill of Rights and as enshrined in Chapter 2 of our Constitution. As Mpumalanga province, we are committed to the principles of BNG and we support the Budget Vote of the MEC for 2012-13. We will oversee our provincial department of human settlements. We will ensure that it procures land and invites all sector departments so that they can plan collectively. In all their endeavours, we will also assess whether it does involve our traditional leaders and the private sector, in particular the finance sector, as well as employers, so that the South African dream can become a reality. Together we can build sustainable human settlements and improve the quality of household life.
Ms M P THEMBA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 60
Mr S P D SKHOSANA
Ms M P THEMBA: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon members, comrades and friends, I want to believe that all of us seated here are aware that since the ANC assumed the responsibility to govern South Africa, Parliament has passed tremendously progressive policies geared towards the eradication of the legacy of apartheid. Paramount among policies and Acts passed by Parliament is the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which enshrines the Bill of Rights for all citizens.
In terms of section 26 of the Constitution, "Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing". The state, through its departments for local government and housing, must take reasonable measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of this right. We have moved with utmost speed and decisiveness to ensure that access to housing becomes an integral part of our national quest and commitment to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for the people of South Africa. We made this bold undertaking because we are well aware that our nation and communities have suffered indelible damage from the long years of apartheid settlement and preferential treatment.
Part of turning the Department of Human Settlements into one that ensures quality human settlement services to the people is the improvement of construction across all nine provinces. While materials are quality controlled and tested by Agrément South Africa, the lack of standardised quality constructions remains worrying. The amount of money lost by government to rectify badly constructed houses keeps on growing. Something must be done to deal with this challenge.
We have ensured that the provision of housing finds clear expression in our Constitution, policies and legislation as a promise to our people that we remain committed to provide them with decent housing and preserve their dignity. Today we can say for sure that the ANC government has taken reasonable steps in the realisation of the goals of the Freedom Charter and the Ready to Govern policy document, which were incorporated in the final Constitution of South Africa.
The transition to a human settlement framework has formed a major step in responding to the growing need to prioritise the national budget towards greater investment in social infrastructure. It provided us with the opportunity to rally our national resources to ensure that our people have decent houses with amenities, which are guaranteed as inalienable rights in our Constitution. This policy shift towards sustainable human settlement is the expression of a new national approach that says integrated services would address basic needs more holistically than the provision of individual housing.
The Human Settlements Budget Vote clearly shows that the ANC government is truly at work with all hands on deck to house our nation and dismantle the legacy of apartheid spatial settlement. Part of improving the quality of life of our people lies in the size of the houses in which they live. We have to ensure that we improve the sizes of the bedrooms, kitchens, toilets, bathrooms and lounges of houses and that they are all standardised.
This Budget Vote shows that the department has responded to the call made by President Jacob Zuma in his state of the nation address early this year, when he announced investment in municipal infrastructure and human settlements to the tune of R120 billion in 2012-13 to R139 billion in 2014-15. You will recall that in 2010 President Zuma also announced that homeowners struggling to secure housing finance because they earned between R3 500 and R9 000 would benefit from a R1 billion guaranteed fund. This fund would be geared towards incentivising private banking to create products to assist government efforts to meet the housing demand. The Department of Human Settlements reviewed countless proposals for implementing the fund and opted for the Mortgage Default Insurance service.
We are happy that the MDI will reduce poverty and inequality by increasing the affordability of home ownership. It will enable the department to meet the growing demand for human settlements by enabling qualifying beneficiaries to access mortgage finance in the form of a deposit that will minimise the risk of default and, subsequently, of the loss of shelter. Plans are currently under way to avail the MDI to 600 000 households by October 2012.
The transformation of Human Settlements means that the department is responsible to deliver sanitation as part of the provision of houses. This means that the need for specialist engineers has increased. We emphasise the need for the Department of Human Settlements, with the Departments of Higher Education, Basic Education and Public Works, to develop pipelines through which our youth and women can be developed to be specialists who can assist in future with the provision of sanitation and other key aspects that make up human settlement.
The department continues to play an important and strategic role in the creating of job opportunities in line with the country's New Growth Path. In 2010-11 the department created close to 40 000 jobs through its national sanitation programme. More than half of the beneficiaries were young people - a key target group for poverty alleviation, particularly in the context of the high rates of unemployment among the youth.
In terms of the department's budget programme on housing planning and delivery support, it exceeded its plans to create 200 jobs. With respect to skills development, 281 previously disadvantaged learners were awarded scholarships to study towards a qualification in human settlements. Furthermore, training programmes that reached 998 councillors, officials and community members were conducted.
The department has developed several models for forecasting the number of potential jobs that could be created over the medium term. It is estimated that under particular conditions of low economic growth, the department could generate between 400 000 and 500 000 jobs. Fewer jobs would be created in a high economic growth climate - probably between 300 000 and 350 000. To bring more women and youth into the sector, the department has incubator projects focused on these crucial policy matters. Related to this, the department's Social Housing Regulatory Authority creates, on average, up to 100 jobs per project, thus reducing poverty. Part of our issue with standardising the quality and size of houses relates to the need to ensure that entities that report to the Minister should work harder on bringing more youth and women into the sector. We urge the department in its work with other departments to influence entities such as the Construction Industry Development Board to ensure that existing female contractors are improved and gain higher grading on the contractor register.
It is anticipated that over the medium term, 7 500 new work opportunities will be created through 75 human settlements-related projects. New agents who will deliver human settlements for the department are expected to generate 150 jobs over the medium term.
This Budget Vote is a clear expression of the continued commitment to work tirelessly towards our goal of building a better quality of life for our people. Two broad themes of performance will be ... [Time expired.] The ANC supports the Budget Vote.
Mr J J GUNDA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 61
Ms M P THEMBA
Mr J J GUNDA: House Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, MECs, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, we really thank you, hon Minister, for the vision you have for 2030. We hope and trust that you will accomplish your goal and we support this vision. The Freedom Charter says there shall be houses for all and as we strive to give houses to all we know that this challenge is not easy. [Interjections.]
I agree with what you said in your speech, hon Minister, namely that a house is an asset and that human settlement can become one of the biggest drivers of the local economy. What you say is true – big companies with the proper resources and tools can build quality houses. However, would you also agree that they have a social responsibility towards the community where they are building? If so, they must assist the small, upcoming contractors by economically empowering them so that they too can capacitate themselves and also become successful while building the future of this country and as part of the mainstream economy of this country. There is no point in using big companies to build infrastructure if they are not willing to transfer quality skills to the smaller, upcoming contractors so that there is equal opportunity for all.
We welcome the 2% increase in the budget even though it is minimal. Given inflation, you won't even see that 2% increase. I urge my colleagues, as members of committees and of this House, to put pressure on Treasury to give this department more money in order to build better and bigger houses and to create more jobs. That is very important.
If we are saying that we are going to create jobs, make people's lives better and grow the economy locally, then this department is one of the departments that must get more money - R25 billion is too little. Remember where we are coming from. There were no houses. A house is an asset and we need to give our people an asset for them to be proud of this new democracy.
Hon Minister, is it possible to have a national database within the department that will effectively assist the department to curb the number of members of the public who own more than one government-subsidised house in this country? If we had a system like that, we would in fact be assisting the poor to become homeowners.
Prince M M M ZULU
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 61
Mr J J GUNDA
IsiZulu:
Umntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, Sekela Ngqongqoshe, inhloko yomnyango wakho, abahlonishwa abakhona, sikubeka ngokucacile ukuthi Inkatha isekela iSabiwomali soMnyango wezokuHlaliswa kwabaNtu kepha kunezinto eziyinselela okungezona ukuthi lo mnyango ungafaka izimali ezinkulu ngemuva kwalokho ungabi nendlela yokuqapha leyo mali ethunyelwa ezifundazweni nakomasipala uqobo.
Ngiyakuncoma mhlonishwa ngoba uyavuma ukuthi lezi izinselela umnyango wakho obhekene nazo. Njengendoda yasemakhaya eluse izinkomo ngithi kukhona okunye, KwaNongoma e-ward 15 edolobheni engisuka kulona, idolobhana lomlando wempi yakwaNdunu kunezinto ezithile ezenzeka ngo 2008 lapha umnyango kahulumeni wathembisa ukwakhela abantu izindlu. Kulelo wadi amakhansela amathathu, amabili weNkatha nelilodwa likaKhongolose, aye ahlangana ahlala phansi avumelana ngokuthi kufanele babheke ukuthi yibaphi abantu abahlupheka kakhulu nokufanele bakhelwe izindlu. Zavunyelwa lezo zindlu.
Lezi zinto kuze kube manje azikaze zenzeke. Asazi ukuthi yini inkinga yakhona. E-Ward 14 KwaNongoma, kunezindlu eziyi-1000 ezivunyelwe kuleya ndawo, lezo zindlu zavunyelwa ngonyaka wezi-2009 kodwa kuze kube manje lezo zindlu azakhekile. Kunomkhuba okhona, kuthiwa kunendonda, ethi uma kugcwaliswa amafomu wezindlu zikakahulumeni kumele abantu bakhokhe ama-R10. kungiphatha kabi ukuthi umhloniswa uMEC usehambile, phela lezo izinto okumele azeluse ngoba ubhekelene noloyo mnyango. Inkohlakalo ngeze nakancane sayisekela noma ngabe kuthiwa yenziwa nguNkulunkulu, noma nguBayede iNgwenyama yesizwe samaZulu. Ngeke sayiseka inkohlakalo ngoba kulapho izinto zonakala khona.
Kumele wazi mhlonishwa ukuthi kukhona abantu bakithi abafudukayo bayosebenza eGoli. Izindawo ezifana namahostela wase-Vosloorus, izindawo ezingemukeleki ukuthi kuhlale khona abantu. Lezo izindawo engazi kahle ukuthi azakhiwangwa nguhulumeni okhona kodwa zakhiwe nguhulumeni wobandlululo. Izindawo ezifana ne-Dalton, Alexandra, Wemmer, Unit T 17 naseThokoza hostel eThekwini izindawo zonke okufanele nizibheke.
Kumele nibheke izimali enizinika omasipala ngoba omasipala banamabhajeti amakhulu kabi, kusafuneka ukuthi niphinde nihlole. Kwenzekanjani ngoba kunamafemu amakhulu akhokha izimali komasipala. Kungakho izinkece zomphakathi zidliwa. Ngiyathemba ukuthi ningenza zonke izinto ezifanele ukubhekisisa ukuthi izimali ezikhishiwe zisetshenziswa njani.
Ngiyathemba ukuthi ubunswempu bethu nokungabi nalutho mhlawumbe ekugcineni sizogcina sisizakala njengabantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngoba kulawula umThethosisekelo wezwe, ukuthi wonke umuntu kumele abenendlu ahlala kuyo. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.]
Mr Z MLENZANA
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 61
Umntwana M M M ZULU
English:
Mr Z MLENZANA: Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, let me not dwell on the National Planning Commission and progress regarding the 2030 target date. These have been dealt with. However, on behalf of Cope, I applaud government for its efforts in reviewing the status quo. This was done before and we saw the RDP working. However, we urge the department not to be held up by analysis and to get on with the delivery of quality housing.
Cope welcomes the establishment of the Project Monitoring Unit because poor-quality housing is an insult and a slap in the face of South Africans. Their hopes and dreams are shattered when millions of rands go under as a result of shoddy work and the collapse housing projects. In Dutywa, for instance, a housing project dashed the hopes of the Mbhashe Municipality, when the contractor walked off because of shoddy work.
Shack dwellers are frustrated, and this is exacerbated by shoddily built toilets that are now collapsing. These on-site toilets are also exposed to vandalism. Cope hopes and prays that the existence of the PMU will improve the efficiency of expenditure by the provinces and metropolitan municipalities on the delivery of quality housing and sanitation services.
It is clear in my mind that the sanitation programme has experienced a significant decline during this financial year, given the backlog in rural areas and its challenges in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The provision of housing was not achieved as planned in the previous financial year. Remember that the Minister announced in August 2010 that the housing backlog could not be eradicated by 2014. What this means is that government will not achieve the MDG of improving the lives of people in informal settlements.
The capacity enhancement programme envisaged by the department should be vigorous and reach out to those municipalities that are not accredited, particularly rural municipalities.
Regarding rectification, I want to appeal that there should be fixed time frames for this programme. I am raising this not because the Eastern Cape has direction in this regard, but because we cannot allow a situation where rectification becomes the norm and a permanent programme in the department.
As a rural boy, and given the prominence of rural development in government addresses, I invite Parliament to closely monitor the implementation of the rural housing loan fund and the integration of the rural household infrastructure grant, into the Municipal Infrastructure Grant.
In conclusion, we have looked at both the national and provincial priorities with interest. Regarding rural development, no province may be allowed to be silent about this subject and be allowed to in fact be doing nothing about this subject. Hence we welcome the new business planning formats and encourage all provinces to implement the national priorities as such. Let us all remember that ...
IsiXhosa:
... asiyonto yethu le nto siyenza apha. Yinto yabantu baseMzantsi Afrika le.
English:
Hence, in the year 1955, we said the people of South Africa, black and white ... [Time expired.] Cope supports the Budget Vote.
Mr H MMEMEZI (Gauteng)
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 62
Mr Z MLENZANA
Mr H MMEMEZI (Gauteng): Chair, Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, my colleagues, ladies and gentleman, it is an honour for me to be part of the debate on the Budget Vote of Human Settlements, which was presented by the hon Minister, Mr Tokyo Sexwale. The presentation and debate come after long consultation between the national, provincial and local government on how best to address the challenges of housing the nation.
Based on a common approach, we now have a detailed programme of delivery, which is an indication that government at all levels is committed to changing people's lives for the better. Because we subscribe to and believe in the principles of participatory democracy, through our consultation with the people we know what the concerns are and what processes are needed to deal with such challenges.
Since 1994 the ANC-led government has gained a lot of experience to intensify the housing programme. We have been able to demonstrate beyond any doubt that we have accumulated a lot of experience. To demonstrate that we are no longer just talking but indeed working, last year, we in Gauteng highlighted that we would continue to do work on our various big mixed-housing projects for Human Settlements. It pleases me to report that we have now concluded Cosmo City, Olievenhoutbosch extension 36 and many other big projects. We can confidently demonstrate that our policy on human settlements is living up to its objectives. We now have residential areas that are multiracial, with mixed-income groups. All residents now have access to amenities like schools, clinics, libraries, shopping complexes, etc, within their vicinity.
We have now identified more areas that will benefit from such projects and increased them to 26 in total. Out of this total number, 17 projects are in the planning phase and nine are under implementation and in various stages of development. Indeed, in Gauteng, "kuyasheshwa" [... we work fast].
The Affordable Rental Housing Programme is one of the initiatives in the eradication of housing backlogs through the provision of rental housing for low-income earners who cannot be accommodated in the formal private rental market. With regard to increasing the rate of affordable rental housing development, the department will provide rental units ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W M Magadla): No, hon members!
Mr D V BLOEM: Chairperson, it is not me. These people are asking and talking about driver's licences. I want to show you ... [Laughter.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W M Magadla): Hon Bloem! You may continue, MEC.
Mr H MMEMEZI (Gauteng): With regard to increasing the rate of affordable rental housing delivery, the department will provide rental units through social housing institutions and the construction of community residential units to ensure that hostel residents have access to affordable rental accommodation. Our people must take note that we can not succeed with these magnificent two-storey to four-storey hostels if people are not paying. Please, good people, good things must be paid for.
The department will work in partnership with stakeholders such as the Gauteng Partnership Fund, private-sector companies like Old Mutual and Sanlam, and the Department for the Public Service and Administration, including municipalities, to ensure the achievement of the rental accommodation targets. In the province of Gauteng, this target is 19 352, based on the agreement signed with the President.
We welcome the announcement by the Minister that South Africans who earn between R3 501 to R15 000 will now qualify for government assistance. This is one of groups of individuals that have been denied the opportunity to get houses for a long time. I hope people will be honest enough to give credit where it is due, namely to the ANC-led government, which keeps opening up opportunities for all. The group I am talking about is the one termed the "gap market", for it falls outside of the government-subsidy bracket but at the same time is unable to afford access to the mortgage products available from commercials banks. Now, because of President Zuma-led government, the gap market will be addressed through the implementation of the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme.
We identified various pieces of well-located land within Gauteng. Already requests for proposals have been issued to the market so that we can develop such parcels in partnership with the private sector. We will have a mixed-land-use approach to cater for both residential and commercial needs. These interventions seek to dismantle the spatial patterns of apartheid and build an inclusive and nonracial society in line with the governing party's policies and manifesto.
The location of new settlements on the periphery of an urban area undermines urban agglomeration and often provides poor access to social amenities and job opportunities. This further exacerbates poverty and inequality. The practice also results in substantial cost implications for municipalities in terms of the provision of basic services to the new settlement.
Gauteng is a small province with limited well-located land for human settlement development. In the 2012-13 financial year, the department planned to acquire 15 properties that were well located for low-income and affordable housing. In order to mitigate illegal invasion and the occupation of vacant land, the department will inspect 300 properties for the safeguarding of the Gauteng provincial government's vacant land, while 4 020 properties will be recommended for vesting within the Gauteng provincial government.
Illegal land invasion and occupation of RDP houses and hijacking of inner-city buildings should be condemned at all times. We cannot allow such practices to become the norm in our country and we must deal with such tendencies in a more vigorous way. It is therefore important to have a process of reviewing various pieces of legislation to make sure that they are not abused by unscrupulous individuals who are determined to create anarchy in our society.
Our law-enforcement agencies must assist us in dealing with people who are breaking the law. There should be no law or any clause that protected or encouraged the highjacking of land or RDP and city buildings. As lawmakers, if we do not act soon, our own houses will be invaded while we are on holiday and, after 48 hours, courts will protect the invaders. One wonders what a judge's attitude would be if invaders decided to invade that judge's house while he or she was away on holiday! Remember, people sometimes overpower the security people we have put in place.
Our plan to change various urban townships is under way. Through the Alexandra Renewal Project, we have already delivered 15 516 different housing units.
The following projects are being implemented and are proof indeed that things are moving in Gauteng: In the far west of the province, we have many housing projects. Because of time, I won't list them all. Moving to the West of Johannesburg, the Burgersdal informal settlement in Westonaria is situated on dangerous dolomatic land and comprises over 15 000 houses. The department has initiated plans to relocate that informal settlement to the Middelvlei-Droogheuwel area. We are also moving very fast with the Westonaria mixed housing project. Middelvlei-Droogheuwel is situated in Randfontein and comprises 9 000 housing opportunities. An agreement has been reached with all stakeholders, including those in Randfontein, to earmark 50% of these units for allocation or to accommodate the relocation of the Burgersdal informal settlement.
To this end, phase 1 of this development, namely Mohlakeng Extension 11, has been built and 500 houses are already accommodating 250 beneficiaries from the Burgersdal informal settlement. In the formal Burgersdal - the old township - there is ongoing work to upgrade current infrastructure through the reconstruction of intersections, segmented paving, the repair and finishing of roads and the construction of sidewalks. A lot of work is taking place. In fact, Burgersdal is a construction site at the moment.
We have been able to finalise projects, such as the upgrading of Burgersdal's police station, Simunye Extension 2, bulk services and electrification. We prioritised, completed and handed over these projects to the respective departments and municipalities.
In conclusion, we support the Minister's budget and commit ourselves to working tirelessly to ensure that prospective beneficiaries have access to housing in Gauteng. [Applause.]
Mrs M C DIKGALE
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Take: 63
Mr H MMEMEZI
Mrs M C DIKGALE: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, as government and as part of our broader agenda of transforming our society and empowering people, we decided that we were going to build houses for the people. We went further and said that there should be security of tenure.
*** Language spoken has changed to Sepedi ***
Sepedi:
Modulasetulo, ntumelele ke re batho ba go dula ka seboka le magoši a bona, ba tseba gore ge ba agile dintlo lefelong leo ba le filwego ke kgoši ya bona, ba lema mašemo ge nako ya puno e fihla. Ba buna dinawa, mafela, marotse le ditloo. Yo a di hlokago o išetšwa dirotwana le ditšhiwana tša akaretšwa ke ba leloko le baagišane. Ka go realo, batho ba ba tšweletša seema sa gore "bana ba motho ba abelana hlogwana ya tšie."
O ka se tsoge o bone ba dutše ka fase ga maporogo goba ba robetše mebileng ka ge ba tlabe ba rekišeditše dipanka dintlo tša bona. Se se ra gore batho ba swanetše gore ba fiwe mangwalo a semolao a laetšago gore ke beng ba dintlo. Ke kgopela gore, batho ba ba rutwe pele, gore ba seke ba re ge ba di humana, ba feleletše ba rekišitše dintlo tša bona, mafelelong ra ba bona ba dutše ka fase ga mebila. Se sengwe gape seo se ka thušago batho ba ke gore bodidi bo lwantšhwe, ba humane mešomo, gore ge ba e humane ba kgone go ithuša ke tšhelete yeo ba tlabego ba e šomela mo mešomong yeo.
Ke kwele le Mna Groenewald a thaba kudukudu, gape ka kwa gore o thekga gore mmušo wa rena ke mmušo wa go theeletša, ka baka la gore gona bjale re sepela le diprofense re eta re theeletša ka mokgwa wo e lego gore batho ba borena ba sokola ga gona. Mohlomongwe ge re be re nale boGroenewald ka nako yeo re bego re sale ka fase ga ketapele ya kgatelelo, re be re ka seye diprofenseng tša rena. Bjale re tshepa gore mmušo wa rena o tlo rekwa.
*** Language spoken has changed to English ***
English:
Another phenomenon that one observes when driving through the country is the mushrooming of nice-looking RDP houses, but when you get closer, you see that they are unoccupied. This makes one wonder whether a thorough and integrated development plan was undertaken to establish the needs in these communities.
This matter touches on the issue of the need for an integrated system of governance, where the three spheres of government work together effectively. It raises this question: To what extent can national and provincial governments play a role in the sphere of local government without eroding their powers and functions?
The pertinent issue is whether the Department of Human Settlements and local government have forged a link or formulated a strategy to monitor or assist local municipalities in order to avoid this kind of a situation, which, at face value, appears to be wasteful expenditure. It appears that a decision had been taken to build houses without first identifying whether there were beneficiaries.
Another very serious matter in the process of delivering houses to our people is that of people selling their houses only a few years after occupying them. I wonder whether the Ministry or the department has a perspective on how to deal with this situation. If I may I would like to suggest that in cases where beneficiaries who are in the process of occupying their houses find that their situations change for the better, these beneficiaries should avoid the temptation of selling the houses. They should rather inform the authorities and hand the houses back.
Minister, another challenge that continues to face our people in the rural areas is informal settlements that are situated in waterlogged areas, where the water table is probably too high for human habitation.
In conclusion, we applaud the Ministry and the department for the interventions undertaken thus far. However, more needs to be done because housing is a basic need. The backlog is growing day by day and our rural communities are the most disadvantaged.
Sepedi:
Ke a go leboga Modulasetulo. [Legoswi.] [I thank you, Chairperson.]. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 Takes: 63 & 64
Mrs M C DIKGALE
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, can I use the extra time that was left by the last speaker?
Thank you very much, colleagues - through you, Chairperson - for an instructive debate. I said in the other House the other day that one leaves here with more information and having been educated, rather than as a Minister who comes to speak, is asked questions and then just goes away again. You do not know just how much we take away from these debates. The team is sitting there with the director-general and all the advisers and we have been listening very, very carefully. I have a request: Those of you who have formal notes, can we please have your speeches, if you don't mind? Otherwise we will get them from Hansard.
Hon Groenewald, thanks for nominating me for president, but in the ANC we do things differently. [Laughter.] I also thank you for echoing our sentiments in your observations regarding corruption. Corruption is not to be tolerated - we agree with you. We are saying the parties should discipline and deal with their corrupt councillors. Those of us who are sitting here as Ministers and Members of Parliament can do only that much. It is the parties that deploy people. On the basis of those deployments, you know what your councillors are doing. If a councillor is corrupt, let the parties act. On our side, we act: I have indicated to you the number of people who were arrested and disciplined, as well as the amount of money that was recouped from those corrupt practises, but we don't want that to be our job. So, we are asking the parties to take action as well.
Hon Sibande, you spoke about "from shelter to human settlements". That is exactly what the philosophy of our Ministry is all about. Spatial planning by apartheid has been the dehumanisation of the people. This Ministry was established to humanise the people. Unfortunately, sir, I couldn't get more from the education you were offering because you were denied by Rule 51, I think, from educating us further. Can we have your speech documentation? Anyway, you echoed the Human Settlements vision for 2030.
Hon Madikizela, we understand. You have a difficult province like Gauteng to run. We understand the challenges. [Interjections.] What are they saying?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon members, quiet please!
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Hon Madikizela, I have always worked well with you and we'll continue to work well together. I think we should complete the project and show the Constitutional Court our mettle and that corporate governance works at all levels. The nearby Joe Slovo project, which is named after the first Minister of the former Department of Housing, is a crucial opportunity for us to show our adherence to the Constitution and our respect for the rule of law.
Premier Zille gave me a call the other day. This is important for this House to hear because this is the council responsible for the provinces and she was talking about beneficiaries. A number of you mentioned this and I gave you the assurance that we both agree on this. I think I should convey this here as well: Beneficiaries are selling their houses because of the new Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme, or Flisp, that we are putting forward in response to the President's announcement that we will be assisting people in the gap market. People are taking advantage of that, which is good. However, some of them are leaving their houses and then come to take advantage of Flisp. That means they want to benefit twice. Our message is simple: No beneficiary can benefit twice. It is against the law. [Applause.]
Hon Pillay has left. He spoke about using our budgets collectively and optimally so that we send a strong message to Treasury for them to increase our budgets. Even before we ask for more money, we want to make sure that the budget we are currently being given - in this case, the R25,2 billion - is used optimally and efficiently so that there is no waste.
In respect of research, I will engage him on that further. Research needs to be done for us to get better information. A Chair of Human Settlements has now been established and will be opened at the University of the Free State. We hope to take the national Minister of Higher Education with us to the opening of the Chair for Human Settlements. Interestingly, we now have a Bachelor Degree in Human Settlements at Unisa.
Of course, hon Skhosana, your message also falls within the vision of Human Settlements 2030. The disunited South Africa is the result of infrastructural apartheid. The way apartheid was used divided all of us. Apartheid could not have existed without infrastructure, because roads, rail and all those things lead us to different places. We would have a highway and no off-ramp. The people without the off-ramp were cut off, while the farmers down the road had access, and so on. That's how it worked. Without infrastructure, we would not be here - all of us. Therefore the challenge that unites this country and the function thereof is that of infrastructural cohesion. It would be inexcusable on our part to perpetuate the system of apartheid spatial planning. We take that point as we plot our course.
Hon Themba, as a mother you emphasised quality, good standards and beauty. We want to say that Human Settlements is driven by large windows these days. [Laughter.] We make sure that all houses have them, because apartheid houses were characterised by very small windows. Most of them were even smaller than the prison windows on Robben Island! You spoke about youth and women. We take that on. Of course, those who sell their houses before their time - and this is a message that was expressed by many of you - should be blacklisted and not given other benefits. This includes the contractors who do so.
However, let me point out that we have a problem when it comes to assisting people in the gap market, now that we have Flisp, as announced by the President. I said that two million people were going to benefit. The problem is that there are between 600 and 800 people who work for Human Settlements, in our offices and in your offices there. We are trying to get them to benefit from Flisp. But believe you me, the majority of the people who are supposed to benefit are blacklisted because of Edgars, Woolworths and the like! So, we are going to find a way of restructuring their debt to assist them – and not only them but other people who find themselves in a similar situation.
Hon Gunda, you are right that the big construction companies have to be assisted, but as we work with them, we pledge ourselves to make sure that, in terms of the law, they remain with their empowerment partners. So, while we want to change the whole approach in terms of the involvement of big companies, it wouldn't leave our people behind. That would be breaking the law of this House and of other aspects of our government where the law says we must assist the ordinary people. We want to correct the situation but also make sure that people benefit more.
Hon Prince, ...
IsiZulu:
...bengithi Mntwana weNkosi yazi ukuthi leya ndaba yakwaNongoma siyibhekisisile kakhulu. Indaba le yamahostela yokuthi alungiswe uyazibonela nawe ukuthi senzeni laphaya eGauteng. Siye salilungisa leliya hostela laseJabulani manje lisezingeni eliphezulu. Besihamba noMmemezi nangu ulapha kanye nePhini LikaMongameli, uKgalema nguyena owavula leliya hostela ekanye nosihlalo wekomidi.
English:
Look at the Human Settlements website and you will see what we have done with Jabulani Hostel. There is no place like it, where there used to be a hostel, and now you have the type of houses we have built there - high-rises and so on. Congratulations to our people, who have moved from being nothing and today they live in places that are better than any university hostel you can find in South Africa. [Applause.]
Hon Mlenzana, siyavumelana nawe. [We agree with you.] The sanitation report will be in my hands soon. I want to make sure that that report is acted upon. I want to thank Comrade Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in advance and here in this House for taking the lead and giving us this report. It is still preliminary and there are many challenges contained in that report.
Of course, we also agree with you that the rectification of houses may not become a permanent feature. You called yourself "a rural boy". I wonder whose heart you were trying to win because you don't look that boyish to me. [Laughter.]
Hon Mmemezi from Gauteng, we don't need to speak about Gauteng here. There are big problems, big issues, big budgets and all that.
IsiZulu:
Siyazi kuyasheshwa laphaya.
English:
Your biggest problem is our problem too: illegal invasion and illegal occupation. The Constitutional Court is also involved there and we want to make sure that as the courts take decisions, they don't hurt provinces such as Gauteng. While all the other provinces have got to grow, you cannot constrain and restrain Gauteng, because all of you end up going to KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng as well as the Western Cape. We agree with you that there is a need to look at the situation properly.
Congratulations to KwaZulu-Natal for completing Cornubia. Western Cape, we are looking forward to working with you in Drommedaris. In Limpopo we want to see new towns. Jacob Zuma said the new towns cannot have townships anymore. That is where we are going. So, we agree with everybody, as concluded by hon Dikgale, and say to people: Don't sell these houses before their expiry date. That is the message we would like to send our people: do not sell your houses before the expiry date. We are co-ordinating with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to make sure that there is an integrated approach to what we are doing. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Council adjourned at 16:40.
Audio
No related
Documents
No related documents