Hansard: NCOP: Consideration of report of Select Committee on Economic and Business Development - Nairobi International Convention on the removal of wrecks, 2007 with explanatory memorandum

House: National Council of Provinces

Date of Meeting: 12 May 2015

Summary

No summary available.

Minutes

UNREVISED HANSARD

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

TUESDAY, 12 MAY 2015

PAGE: 1

TUESDAY, 12 MAY 2015

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

_______

The Council met at 14:00.

The Deputy Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITION OF N2 ATTACK VICTIM

(Draft Resolution)

Mr M I RAYI: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes with applause the progress in Caden Slabbert’s condition, as he is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery due to the injury;
further notes that young Caden Slabbert suffered a stroke after being struck on the head when an unknown man threw a brick through the passenger window of his father’s car on the N12 highway near Glen Shopping Centre on 30 April;
also notes that Caden was placed in an induced coma immediately after the incident and was brought out of the coma last Wednesday, following successful surgery, but that he is not yet fully conscious;
further notes that incidents of this kind are very common on our highways countrywide; and
appeals to law enforcement agencies to take note of these incidents and to devise strategies to combat these tendencies.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Mr L B GAEHLER

Mr M RAYI

BODIES OF MURDER VICTIMS FOUND IN UMTATA DAM

(Draft Resolution)

Mr L B GAEHLER: Chairperson, on behalf of the UDM I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes that Jacqui Miller and Carl George, who are 19 and 20 years old respectively, were found dead in Umtata Dam on Sunday, 10 May 2015 at about 18:30 after a village member informed the police;
further notes that their cars were found at Kwa-Link, a village close to the scene of the murder;
acknowledges that the cause of death has not yet been determined;
commends the person who reported the case to the police;
encourages citizens of the country to report any criminal or illegal activities that take place in their communities to the police; and
calls for a speedy and thorough investigation of this gruesome and inhuman act.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Ms E C VAN LINGEN

Mr L B GAEHLER

DEMOCRATIC ELECTION OF NEW LEADERSHIP AT DA FEDERAL CONGRESS

(Draft Resolution)

Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

congratulates the DA on the democratic election of the new leadership at the party’s Federal Congress held in Port Elizabeth this weekend where Mmusi Maimane was elected the leader of the DA, and the Deputy Chairpersons were Dr Ivan Meyer, Refiloe Ntsekhe and Desiree van der Walt;
notes that James Selfe was elected as Chairperson of the Federal Council and Thomas Walters as his deputy;
wishes the DA’s leadership well as they carry out the mandate of the DA’s Values Charter of Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity;
further notes that the DA is well on its way to the Union Buildings as the governing party. [Laughter.]

[Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T Modise): In the light of the objection, the motion without notice may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice now becomes a notice of motion on the Order Paper.

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

Ms E C VAN LINGEN

PASSING AWAY OF RUTH MOMPATI’S DEATH

(Draft Resolution)

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes with immense sadness the passing on of Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe, Mme Ruth Mompati in the early hours of this morning following a long illness;
further notes that Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati played an indelible role in both the liberation and development of our country;
also notes that she leaves behind a proud legacy of steadfastness, resilience and selflessness through her exceptional and outstanding contribution to and sacrifice for the liberation struggle;
further notes that Mme Ruth Mompati was born in the North West Province within the district of Bophirima, now called Dr Ruth Mompati District Municipality, and worked for former President Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in their law practice in Johannesburg, before joining the ANC, where she served in various leadership position;
acknowledges the indelible role played by Mme Mompati in our society and that her death has robbed our nation of a towering, silent giant and one of the rare living moral compasses of our nation;
also notes that her unwavering determination to serve her people and her commitment to the prosperity of our nation will be sorely missed;
takes this opportunity to express its deepest condolences to Mama Ruth Mompati’s family for having borrowed us this icon of the struggle of liberation of the South African people; and,
thanks Mme Mompati for exceptional and outstanding contribution and sacrifice to the liberation struggle and leaving behind a proud legacy of steadfastness, resilience and selflessness. Hamba kahle mama, hamba kahle mkhonto, hamba kahle sithwalandwe. Thank you.

Mr G MICHALAKIS

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

COURT RULES AGAINST USE OF POLICE TO REMOVE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

(Draft Resolution)

Mr G MICHALAKIS: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes another victory for our democracy was won by the DA this morning when judgment was grated in favour of the DA against the Speaker’s use of the police to remove Members of Parliament, MPs, from the House;
further notes that this follows the embarrassing scene where the Speaker ordered the police to remove the MPs from a joint sitting during the President’s state of the nation address;
also notes that according to the judgment handed down this morning, section 11 of the Powers and Privileges Act has been declared unconstitutional;
also notes that the direct consequence of this judgment is that no Presiding Officer may order the police to remove any Member of Parliament;
further notes that MPs have a constitutional duty to hold the executive to account and should have the right to do this in the interest of the public, even when the executive and Speaker don’t like this message or how it is being conveyed; and,
also notes that this again proves that the DA will not fail or falter in fearlessly challenging the status quo in the interest of the public and our democracy and this is a victory for our democracy. [Applause.]

Mr J P PARKIES

Mr G MICHALAKIS

HELEN ZILLE DEFENDS ALLISTER SPARKS

(Draft Resolution)

Mr J P PARKIES: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes with utmost apprehension remarks made by former journalist Allister Sparks, who expressed admiration of one of the architects of apartheid Hendrik Verwoerd, as among a list of smart politicians, like the outgoing DA leader and Premier of the Western Cape;
further notes that after a national uproar about the remarks made by Sparks, Premier Helen Zille defended the remarks that were made by Sparks, even stating that Sparks did not express admiration of Hendriks Verwoerd and that his remarks were fundamentally distorted and manipulated;
acknowledges that Hendrik Verwoerd was the architect of barbaric apartheid which institutionalised racial segregation and created policies that inflicted pain and hardship on millions of black people in this country; and,
takes this opportunity to condemn in the harshest possible terms such cynical and reckless remarks which only pays glorifying tribute to one of the architects of this opprobrious system that was considered by the United Nations, UN, and societies across the globe as a crime against humanity.

Mr J W W JULIUS

Mr J P PARKIES

TERMINATION OF INQUIRY INTO MXOLISI NXASANA’S FITNESS TO HOLD OFFICE

(Draft Resolution)

Mr J W W JULIUS: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes that the sudden termination of the inquiry instituted by President Jacob Zuma into South Africa’s prosecution boss, Mxolisi Nxasana, is following a trend and is not good for the stability in the NPA and the justice system;
further notes that the termination of the inquiry paves the way for the President to push Mr Nxasana out of office by offering him a golden handshake;
also notes that the NPA has long been riddled by scandals at the hands of politically connected individuals whose fundamental preoccupation is to protect President Jacon Zuma; and,
finally notes that a stable, functional and independent legal system, where all are equal before the law, no matter how politically connected, is essential for the success of a constitutional democracy.

Mr A S SINGH

Mr J W W JULIUS

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT GLENCOE PRISON IN KWAZULU–NATAL

(Draft Resolution)

Mr A S SINGH: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes that with concern that a fire broke out at Glencoe Prison in Northern KwaZulu–Natal on Monday, 11 May 2015, and inmates had to be moved to other correctional centres;
also notes that about 1022 inmates were evacuated from the prison without injuries and that no escapes were reported;
further notes that there is extensive damages in that approximately 70% of the centre is damaged, which means that the centre will remain shut until it has been cleared; and
calls on all relevant departments to investigate the cause of the fire and to ensure the speedy repair of the prison to avoid eminent overcrowding.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Mr M CHETTY

Mr A S SINGH

POOR SERVICE DELIVERY AT MTUBATUBA MUNICIPALTY

(Draft Resolution)

Mr M CHETTY: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA I hereby move without notice:

That the Council –

notes that due to the corrupt and poor management of Mtubatuba Municipaltiy by the ANC and NFP, this municipality should be dissolved;
further notes that residents of Mtubatuba for years have suffered and not received any real form of basic and essential services;
resolves to congratulate the efforts made by the DA for achieving 100% improvement by winning a seat in the municipality;
also notes that this crucial inroads will now allow citizens of Mtubatuba to witness firsthand the effectiveness and why the DA receives the reputation of being the party of real service delivery; and
finally notes that residents of Mtubatuba having a DA councillor will further have opportunity of witnessing a councillor that is fit for purposes as opposed to cadre deployed.

Ms T K MAMPURU

Mr M CHETTY

CELEBRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL NURSES’ DAY

(Draft Resolution)

Ms T K MAMPURU: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes that today is International Nurses’ Day, a special day to commemorate the contribution of nurses to the healthcare system;

(2) further notes that the day is the anniversary of the birth of the famous British nurse, Florence Nightingale;

(3) also notes that the day marks the invaluable work performed by nurses in the healthcare system and is used around the world to acknowledge these unsung heroes; often referred to as the backbone of our healthcare system; and

congratulates the nurses on this important day and expresses its gratefulness for the work they are doing.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Mr W F FABER

Ms T K MAMPURU

PRASA’S MASSIVE R51 BILLION TENDER FOR NEW PASSANGER CARRIAGES

(Draft Resolution)

Mr W F FABER: Chairperson, on behalf of the DA, I move without notice:

That the Council –

(1) notes that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, Prasa’s massive R51 billion tender for new passenger carriages could derail amid fears of French multinational Alstom’s ability to keep to the contract’s local content requirement;

(2) further notes that Rapport newspaper reported that the Gibela consortium, which consist of Alstom and its South African empowerment partners, is placing pressure on local manufacturers of train components to supply Gibela with their products at significantly reduced prices;

(3) also notes that some of these manufacturers have complained to Prasa that they can’t supply the French giant with their products at such discount rates;

(4) also notes that local manufacturers indicated that they had only received contracts from Alstom for component for 200 train sets, whilst the R51 billion tender makes provision for the delivery of 600 train sets;

(5) further notes that the first set of twenty train sets, consisting of six carriages each, are now being built at an Alstom facility in Brazil;

(6) also notes that this does not help creating jobs as being promised by government; and

(7) asks the Minister of Transport to take a look into this tender regulations on creating work for South Africans and act swiftly to change this practice.

I so move.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Mr M T MHLANGA

Mr W F FABER

PASSING AWAY OF BONGANI MBATHA

(Draft Resolution)

Mr M T MHLANGA: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC, I move without notice:

That the Council –

notes with grief the passing on of Lieutenant General Bongani Mbatha, 57 years, who died on 6th May;

further notes that Lieutenant General Mbatha was an accomplished soldier, patriot and a distinguished veteran of the liberation struggle and the nation has lost a committed, dedicated, hardworking and highly regarded freedom fighter and the servant of the people;

further notes and welcomes the declaration by President Zuma, that his funeral service will have full military honour on the 13th May 2015 at the Thaba Tshwane Military Sports Club; and

(4) takes this opportunity to convey its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family of Lieutenant General Mbatha. “Hambakahle Mkhonto”.

Motion accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Ms E PRINS

Mr M T MHLANGA

BY-ELECTIONS RESULTS IN 5 PROVINCES

(Draft Resolution)

Ms E PRINS: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC, I move without notice:

That the Council –

(1) notes and welcomes the results of the by-elections, which were held in 27 Wards in five provinces on the 6 May 2015;

(2) further notes that our people once again reaffirmed their confidence in the ANC by voting our movement into power in 18 Wards of the contested Wards;

(3) acknowledges that this results are once again a confirmation that the ANC remains the people’s movement and the only viable party that is truly committed towards a prosperous South Africa where in poverty, unemployment and inequality will be meaningfully addressed; and

(4) takes this opportunity to thank our communities for the show of confidence in the ANC and wishes the newly elected councillors in all the Wards success, with them knowing that this is to serve and put the people of South Africa at the centre of our projects of radical, social economic transformation.

Mr J J LONDT

Ms E PRINS

OUDTSHOORN BY-ELECTIONS

(Draft Resolution)

Mr J J LONDT: Chairperson, on behalf of the ANC, I move without notice:

That the Council –

(1) condemns the minority coalition in Oudtshoorn for refusing to respect the will of the voters as displayed during the by-elections last week Wednesday by clinging on to power with the minority coalition;

(2) that this Council irrespective of political affiliation condemns any flouting of the rules; and

(3) calls on all political parties to respect the wishes of the voters in Oudtshoorn and allow the majority democratically elected by the voters to govern the municipality.

FIRST ORDER

MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

APPROPRIATION BILL

(Policy debate)

Debate on Vote No 38–Human Settlements:

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, Members of the NCOP, Deputy Minister and guests, in the last minutes of yesterday an outstanding woman, Ruth Mompati, peacefully slipped into the world of John Dube, Lillian Ngoyi, Moses Kotane and all our ANC leaders that have passed on.

I dedicate this policy statement in her honour. In addition to the motion of the ANC I add that this stalwart was one of the first female MK cadres trained and determined to come and liberate this country. She was one of only two women in the team that negotiated the democracy that we enjoy today in the Groote Schuur summit that was held at the beginning of the negotiations. A former Member of Parliament, a former ambassador of South Africa to Switzerland and former mayor of Naledi Local Municipality, she was committed to the struggle of our liberation and especially the liberation of women.

We will remember her as an indomitable woman, a woman of outstanding strength, courage and determination, full of grace, dignity and beauty. As we move forward, we will do our work in such a way that we honour her and that she will know that she is in our thoughts and in everything we do, and that the women in the ANC in particular will do what they do to gain her approval and make her as proud of us as we are of her.

We meet at a pivotal time for our people. Sixty years ago we declared what our people had put across to us – that we hoped that we would better their lives and those of their families. We meet at a time when there is greater urgency in addressing the very deep structural imbalances of the past.

Twenty-one years ago we earned our hard-won freedom and made a solemn pledge to ensure that the evils of the past are never visited on our people again.

In 1994 we committed ourselves to building an egalitarian, nonracial and nonsexist country, and one that lived up to their expectations. Therefore we look back at the hard and difficult road we have travelled.

We must remember that in 1950, the National Party passed the Group Areas Act, which designated and set aside certain residential areas according to race. This was carved into law and determined who we are and where we lived.

In 1955 the first bulldozers made a pounding entrance into Sophiatown, demolishing everything in their wake. Landlords lost their land, tenants lost their shelter. The resistance in Sharpville, led by ANC leaders such as Robert Resha, was heroic, albeit short-lived as the determination of the National Party to use force knew no bounds.

Our people were taken to places that were very far from their places of work, places they could not identify as their own, barren places out of the way and far from anywhere where they could eke out an existence.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the removal of our people from Sophiatown, Western Native Township, Top Location in Vereeniging and District Six in Cape Town with the implementation of the Group Areas Act. Let us never forgive what has happened. Let us never forget what has been done, because if we do that we will never know what it is that we should never do again.

In 1985 our people resisted their forced removal from Crossroads to Khayelitsha. We give a thought to those who died while asserting their right to stay where they wanted.

Our people lost their sense of community, their sense of belonging and their social relations as a result of the Group Areas Act. And here we are, 60 years later. We hope that they will come back to their cities. In fact, they are surging forward in large numbers to reclaim their lost pride and to be close to places where there are work opportunities, in a defiant reassertion of their right to reside where they choose.

It is because we owe them these freedoms that we fought for, which we asserted in the Freedom Charter, that we want to assert again that there shall be houses, and through providing them there shall be security and comfort. All people have a right to live where they choose and be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security.

There shall be no slums. All slums eventually will be demolished and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crèches and social centres.

These are the principles we have committed ourselves to to take us forward and we have enshrined them in the Constitution. It is our firm view, arising from the principles of the Freedom Charter, that having a house is part of the right to dignity. This is captured very firmly in our Constitution and we commit ourselves over and over again to this gradual realisation of this right to dignity.

I need to explain this right to adequate housing, because sometimes we misunderstand it. Adequate housing means that government will ensure that there is adequate housing stock so that people are able to realise this right.

It does not, however, unfortunately, at any stage say that there shall be free housing for all. In fact, right at its inception this democratic state was committed to ensuring that people will participate in the realisation of this right. People will participate in the creation of their own shelter to reclaim their dignity and to be active citizens in bettering their lives.

The state has a responsibility to ensure that the active participants are assisted within the means of government. To ascertain the assistance that government is able to give, we have a number of categories to determine what level of subsidy within each category can be claimed from the state by the indigent, the aged, child-headed households and people with various vulnerabilities.

These groups get free houses. For the rest we provide subsistence; we provide a subsidy and government is committed over and over to ensuring that our citizens have access to housing with our assistance.

We have teased out and isolated some of the aspects that have conspired to negate the delivery of houses to our people. We have instilled a culture of care, compassion, delivery and effectiveness of service to the public. Over time we have understood where the challenges are and we have crafted interventions.

I would like to go through a few of the interventions that we want to put across for this year. Going forward, this is what we have put as priorities for this year. Regarding rectification, we have realised that a number of houses have been shoddily built. We have also realised that the state has taken upon itself the responsibility to rectify these houses.

We have now taken a decision that this shall be no more. We will change our rectification policy. The onus of making sure that the houses are rectified will be on the construction industry and those people who build shoddy houses. The money that was been spent on rectification could have been used to build more houses for our people and should build more houses for our people.

Therefore we urge the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, to take the responsibility to identify those contractors who have built shoddy houses and make sure that they rebuild them — and we shall blacklist them. [Applause.]

Understanding the great need that we have in this country to skill our youth and provide them with housing, we have taken a decision that we shall build youth brigades. We have therefore ring-fenced an amount of R159 million from the Human Settlements grant for this purpose. We are going to make sure that each province is given a portion of this to ensure that they can skill unemployed youth. This will provide them with a solid foundation of skills, work and a future. Henceforth, we are going to do things differently. For all our megaprojects we have determined that 60% of our workforce will be from the youth brigades. Through them we commit ourselves to change and through them we can realise the economic potential vested in the work that we do.

We have also understood that our backyard dwellers have been very unhappy about having been overlooked for so long while we dealt first with people in informal settlements. We want to assure them that this year we will prioritise them.

For most of our megaprojects we would like to add a new element. We want to make sure that in our megaprojects we build government offices. This will not only bring down the exorbitant costs of rental that the state pays for office space, but it will also make sure that government is closer to the people.

In a recent meeting that we had with our mayors, we agreed that every metro will put aside an office that will be a customer-care office for Human Settlements where people can go to get information and help. This is within your realm and I would like you and this House to please check that every metro does have a customer care office. This the mayors have pledged to me and I would like to see that people have access to information at a place closest to them.

We have announced, as you would have heard, that we are restructuring our policy on hostels. We would gradually like to abolish hostels in our towns and make sure that our hostel dwellers become, like us, urbanised citizens and have access to houses, where they qualify.

Where they do not qualify we will ensure that they have access to our community residential rental units. [Applause.] For too long, Chairperson, we have treated some of our people as though they’re outsiders to the city when they spend so much time making sure that our lives are what they are. We shall take over some of the hostels that we have built that our hostel dwellers do not want to get into and turn them into rental units for, especially, those under 40 years. [Applause.]

In this meeting that I had with the mayors – it was a very successful meeting – we also agreed that part of the money that I give them, which is the urban settlements development grant, USDG, should be set aside to make our cities clean.

We have, therefore, adopted a clean cities policy with our metro mayors. This means that they have pledged themselves to putting up a separate youth brigade to ensure at all times that our cities and our townships are clean.

Very often, when you drive into the city, what you find are clean city streets. Go to Philippi, Nyanga or Langa and you will see where filth resides. Where our people are it is filthy. That is where filth resides.

I urge municipalities to please prioritise our townships. There are unemployed youth out there; there is money in the urban settlements development grant so use that money to keep our cities clean and make sure that we reflect who we are.

I’d like to add that by the end of the financial year, 10 000 young people will have been incorporated as estate agents into the estate-agency world. Most of them are young black people and this will make sure that the residential property market is a seamless one. Right now it is of a particular hue and we would like to make sure that our people have an entry into this field.

Finally, I would like to announce that I will not be coming here next year with a military veteran who does not have a house. [Applause.] These are people who fought for our rights and we owe them everything that we have. I would like to end here, Chairperson. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Ms L C DLAMINI

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Ms L C DLAMINI: Hon Chair, my greetings to the hon Minister and the hon Deputy Minister; the director-general, DG, and the team; the Chairperson of SA Local Government Association, Salga; the hon Chief Whip; the hon members and the MECs present today; special greetings also to my colleague, the chairperson of the portfolio committee from the NA, hon Nocawe Mafu — hello sister.

The ANC in its 2014 Election Manifesto articulated that the second phase of our democratic transition calls for bold and decisive steps to place the economy on a qualitatively different path so that we eliminate poverty and unemployment, create sustainable livelihoods and substantially reduce inequality.

Chapter 8 of the National Development Plan, NDP, outlines a vision for human settlements and housing towards 2030, which is a long-term plan that we would want to see achieved as a government.

The emphasis of the NDP is geared towards a government-led strategy to fast-track the development of housing and human settlements, whilst at the same time improving the quality of life of all South African citizens.

It is imperative that we note the following achievements and milestones that have been made by this government so far.

Approximately 12,5 million people were provided with access to accommodation and fixed assets; about 56% of all subsidies were allocated to woman-headed households; the post-1994 government housing programme constitutes about 24% of the total, formal housing stock in the country.

This programme was recognised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, well known as UN-Habitat, with an award. That was in 2003. Just between 1994 and 2010, the National Department of Human Settlements spent R125 billion on housing and human settlement development, while R16 billion was spent by other government agencies on the other infrastructure projects for the development of human settlements.

More than 10 739 communities in 968 towns and cities across the country benefited from the government housing programme.

We welcome the commitment made by the hon Minister that the Department is to build 1,5 million houses and housing opportunities to accommodate the growing backlog. However, this cannot be achieved without partnerships. Therefore, a strong partnership between government and the industry is needed - not forgetting the society that is benefiting, not only by being beneficiaries, but also by being part of the provision of their houses.

In his state of the nation address the President acknowledged the significant progress made towards the revitalisation of mining towns. Flowing from the above, the Department of Human Settlements is focusing on 22 mining towns in six provinces.

During the 2014-15 financial year, more than 4 000 units were delivered mainly in Mpumalanga and the North West provinces, which are the main pressure points of the mining towns. In the Marikana area ... [Interjections.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T R Modise): Is that a point of order?

Mr F ESSACK: Hon Chairperson, I just want to find out if the speaker will take a question.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T R Modise): Hon Dlamini, do you want to take a question?

Ms L C DLAMINI: Outside.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T R Modise): No, sir.

Sepedi:

Mna F ESSACK: O tšhabang, sesi? O reng o tšhaba?

English:

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T R Modise): Let us proceed, ma’am.

Ms L C DLAMINI: In the Marikana area there are two human settlement projects being completed that will deliver over 500 units, built on land donated by Lonmin.

In addition, Anglo American has embarked on a project to provide more than 10 000 housing units.

We also welcome the commitment by the Minister with regard to youth employment opportunities. In her Budget Speech, the Minister highlighted that an amount of R159,5 million was being ring-fenced for the provinces that are implementing the Youth Brigade Programme. Initiatives like this are very important for this country as we are faced with the challenges of youth unemployment.

I would like to applaud the national Department of Human Settlements on its viable approach to dealing with military veterans. Thank you very much, hon Minister, you have just committed again.

In her Budget Speech, the Minister made the committment that by the end of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, the government would have built more than 5 854 houses for the military veterans. Do not ask her next year.

I am talking about the MTEF. To date, there are active projects in eight provinces which are at various stages of implementation and expected to yield 2 129 houses, and 709 houses will be delivered during this financial year.

I would also want to urge the Minister in terms of the newly introduced grants that are earmarked for the metros - one of them is the urban development grant - that these grants also be extended to the 17 secondary cities because the challenges of the metros do not only end at the metros, but they also affect the secondary cities. We would like the grants to be extended to those cities.

Having mentioned the achievements, I realise there are still challenges. Despite the significant progress made thus far, delivery through the national housing programme has not been enough to meet the need for housing support from government. As a result there remains a large number of households living in informal conditions both in informal settlements and backyard rentals. We appreciate that the Minister has spoken about that area.

As indicated in the 2011 Census, there are approximately 1,2 million households, or 8,6% of all households in South Africa, living in informal settlements and a further 700 000 households living in backyards. Furthermore, there are 2,1 million or 14,5% of households making up the official housing backlog; and there are 1,9 million or 13,3% households who are on the government waiting list. All these people are still waiting to be provided with housing.

We also acknowledge the challenge in terms of access to build infrastructure; lack of access to affordable and user-friendly mortgage finance; limited access to land for lower-income housing; backlogs in registering ownership; and informal settlements and weak spatial planning. Some of these projects are not the responsibility of the department alone, but they need other sectors to come on board and assist the department.

The ANC is committed to accelerating the provision of the basic services and infrastructure in all existing informal settlements, unlike the DA in the Western Cape; if I might take Kanana informal settlement, for example, where people are given services because they are members of the DA. [Interjections.] Maybe they allow it, because they are benefiting from those people.

There is also issue of the housing project at Khayelitsha. Those people were to be removed in 2013, but until to date they are still there - a family of eight staying in one room, children and adults, sharing one room — and 10 of those containers are using one toilet. This is the DA government in the Western Cape.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the current funding allocation for the Department of Human Settlements is insufficient to deliver on its target. The National Development Plan proposes that the housing regime be reviewed in order to address this issue with a focus on the following.

State support for housing should be prioritised to occur in inner cities and around transport hubs, corridors and economic nodes; state investment should be shifted from support for top structures to incentivise the acquisition of well-located land and support the development of the public environment needs for sustainable human settlement.

With those words we would like to support the budget of this department. Having listened to the presentation of the department on Friday, as the committee we do support the budget of this department. Thank you, very much. [Applause.]

Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA

Ms L C DLAMINI

Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Hon Chair, Mme Thandi Modise, I greet you all in the name of freedom, fairness and opportunity, as prescribed by the value charter of the DA.

The issue of human settlement in South Africa continues to be one of our biggest challenges and has a direct effect on our economy. The DA’s new value charter best articulates what should inform the department’s policy on giving every South African freedom, fairness and opportunity — not only certain members affiliated with a certain political party, but all South Africans.

I suggest that members of this House start familiarising themselves with these value-charter principles, as these will guide us when the DA takes over the national government.

Like various other countries, South Africa finds itself following a trend where there are population explosions which add pressure and increase demand on the property market for sustainable and well-located land and housing.

Nondelivery and underspending are the two hurdles which this department needs to overcome in order to achieve its target of creating 270 000 housing opportunities per year.

Back in 2009 we all heard President Zuma’s proclamation to shift the Department of Housing to the Department of Human Settlements and to centre the focus away from housing being a roof over one’s head – that is a very good cause - to instead providing sustainable and integrated human settlements where people have access to the basic amenities required for their day-to-day living.

I just want to remind you, hon Dlamini, that Mangaung in the Free State is densely populated with informal settlements. The DA understands that a socially integrated and sustainable environment is one of the most important factors for living a prosperous life with dignity. In fact, where we are governing in the Western Cape we have been able to demonstrate this.

Thank you, hon Minister, for that. In the 2014-15 financial year, the Western Cape government exceeded its housing opportunities target. Working together with the local government, the private sector as well as the communities unifying and creating partnerships with each other, we can all achieve this. The ANC must learn from our examples and stop shutting people out of meetings in order to push their political agenda.

The DA considers government policy on Human Settlements to be an opportunity to make citizenship more inclusive rather than being exclusive of certain people. The ANC has been unsuccessful in laying a solid and stable foundation for a more inclusive society, instead delivery tends to increase and maintain a number of the poor population in urban ghettos where they are not near work opportunities and are mostly in possession of dilapidated properties.

The hon Minister spoke about the need for a sense of self-reliance to be reflective among South African people. However, it is important to note that this could only be effective if the people from these communities are near opportunities of skills advancement.

Once again, I would like to highlight that if this is achieved we will move one step closer towards instilling self-efficiency within the South African people, hon Dlamini, where they will be rewarded with the fruits of their success rather than gifts from the state.

The DA will continue to encourage a market-based solution and for state resources to be freed up in order to service the most poor and the most vulnerable groups of our society.

Having said this, I would like to remind you, hon members, that one could conclude that the DA’s plans and policy are in accordance with the Minister’s guiding principle of exploiting the economies of scale and tackling major instead of minor projects.

It is the only party that can implement a plan to start making progress in alleviating poverty and grant access to economic opportunities. In order to improve our country’s position in terms of human settlements, it is not only important to have a plan and put it into effect, but it is important to highlight previous as well as current problems and challenges that obstruct progress.

Currently one of the most pressing issues facing our government is corruption and maladministration. This problem is within the control of the state. In the Western Cape department of human settlements, we achieved a clean audit. As the DA we plead with government to monitor both the quality as well as the supervisors of Human Settlements projects.

More often than not, people complain about the poor quality of houses, which the hon Minister has touched on, and the corruption displayed by politically-connected contractors who repeatedly demonstrate substandard work.

Hon Minister, it is our duty to remind you of the promise you made to the people of these communities and of the fact that it is your responsibility to ensure that taxpayers’ money is properly utilised for those in need, especially South African citizens.

This means that there should be firm rules put in place to limit opportunities for so-called double-dipping and solid consequences served to authoritative figures guilty of committing such acts.

We also make a plea, hon Minister, to government to value the quality of houses over the quantity thereof. Very often, we hear of government’s achievement of building thousands of houses and housing millions of South Africans. However, we have to look at these reported statistics with a critical eye. It would be a futile exercise to continue building homes that will mostly last for only a few years just to have to go back to the communities to rectify it later at a very expensive price.

It is time that the hon Minister faces the decline of 25% in housing opportunities, despite the budget allocation almost doubling. I beseech the hon Minister to start paying attention to her department and I would like to remind her that it is not a ceremonial position but indeed a position to affect positively the lives of the vulnerable and instil the values adopted by the DA: freedom, fairness and opportunity.

IsiXhosa:

Uneendlebe nje unetyala. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.]

English:

I thank you.

Mr M KHAWULA

Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA

Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Chair, Hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, the audit findings of the Auditor-General for this department have, amongst other things, expressed a concern that the targets of the department on suboutcome 1, 2 and 3 are not smart.

Besides suboutcome 1, 2 and 3 targets not being smart, the IFP also raises the concern that the targets of the department are not realistic and hence not achievable. If the targets of the department are realistic but are not being achieved, it means that there is something wrong somewhere.

The achievement record of the department in the controversial military veterans housing programme is a disaster - for now. In this programme to date the Eastern Cape has built only 75 houses; Gauteng has built only six houses; the Western Cape, none; Limpopo, none: the Free State, none; KwaZulu-Natal none; the North West, only six houses; Mpumalanga, none; and the Northern Cape, none.

The programme for the revitalisation of mining towns has continued to allocate resources to only five provinces - North West, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Gauteng - to the total exclusion of KwaZulu-Natal. In the 2014-15 budget debate last year, I emphatically stated that KwaZulu-Natal also has mining towns, for example Dundee and Dannhauser. These towns also need revitalisation, but have been ignored yet again.

In the same vein, I am again raising my concern in respect of the urban settlement development grant, USDG. Only the metropolitan municipalities are benefiting from this grant - that is the two metros in the Eastern Cape; one metro in the Free State; three metros in Gauteng; one metro in KwaZulu-Natal; and one metro in the Western Cape.

We also have aspirant metros or secondary cities in this country, some of them as huge economically and population-wise as some of the metros, for example, Mbombela in Mpumalanga, Msunduzi in KwaZulu-Natal, uMhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal, Polokwane in Limpopo, Kimberley in the Northern Cape, Mahikeng in the North West, and others.

None of these cities are benefiting from this grant, yet their problems with informal settlements are similar to those of the metros.

One needs to commend the department on the Breaking New Ground programme, BNG. This is a highly promising programme to deal effectively with the housing problems in a dignified manner.

The department needs properly to deal with the problems of waiting lists and proper allocations after construction, which some municipalities complicate. You cannot have housing built at hostels and when it is completed you prioritise people from outside the hostels to occupy such houses.

The conditions under which people in park homes live in Lindela, while still waiting for houses, are appalling. One example of this is the Zamani park homes in Umlazi. They were moved from KwaMnyandu in Umlazi in 2010 for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

The park homes in which they were placed are adjacent to a sewerage plant and they live under terrible conditions. Poor workmanship renders the need for housing a never-ending exercise. The poor workmanship is more often than not as a result of cronyism in the awarding of contracts.

While applauding the department for the new effort announced by the Minister today of blacklisting those involved in shoddy work, the IFP maintains that this alone is not enough. Those friends in positions of power responsible for the irregular awarding of tenders resulting in shoddy workmanship also need to be brought to book.

In conclusion, hon Minister, I heard you talking about the youth brigades. I commend you on that. We will talk about why I do that another day. But you see, youth brigades are renowned for discipline, order and dedication. [Time expired.] Thank you.

Ms L L ZWANE

Mr M KHAWULA

Ms L L ZWANE: Chairperson of the NCOP, the hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister Sisulu and the Deputy, hon members of the NCOP, special delegates, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this opportunity to participate in this very important debate on the Budget Vote of Human Settlements.

In 1992 in May, the ANC held a national conference to discuss the ANC’s Vision for the Future. This conference adopted a policy document famously known as, Ready to Govern. This document, as adopted, heralded a new era in shaping policy imperatives of this government and our readiness to govern a democratic society.

The ANC acknowledged that the housing problem created by the apartheid regime was varied. It included racial fragmentation of our cities and there was high correlation between poverty and race.

In terms of the Freedom Charter that the Minister spelt out very clearly, the government, as led by the ANC, has an obligation to ensure that people are housed decently and that has been happening over the 21 years that the ANC has been in charge of this government. It has not been an easy route, given the fact that the legacy of apartheid had created major constraints.

Firstly, with regard to the bulk infrastructure provision, the infrastructure that had been put in place by the apartheid government was meant to provide only for a minority that were ruling the country.

Now the government of the day has to deploy major financial resources to ensure that the bulk infrastructure is developed to service all the areas, including those for people who were previously disadvantaged.

Nobody here is therefore going to say that the ANC is not moving fast enough to provide houses, because the Minister and the department are still mopping up the mess that was made by the apartheid regime — and that is costing a lot of money on the part of this government.

Minister, we do want to congratulate the department on the fact that you are doing good work as far as the upgrading of informal settlements and the hostels in particular are concerned.

We remember that in the past when our husbands went to the cities to seek employment, they were housed in terrible hostels where there was filth, where there was broken infrastructure and no windows.

If the water system broke down it would remain broken ad infinitum. Nobody really planned how people were going to be settled in the cities when they went to seek employment. Today, however, there is a movement by this ANC-led government to effect improvement in those structures.

The conditions were such that those fathers and husbands could not be visited by their wives because if you visited your husband, you would have nowhere to sleep because all the workers were cramped in one room and having to use the basic infrastructure just to live and sustain themselves.

We therefore want to say that we really do appreciate the move by the Department of Human Settlements to ensure that the conditions in the hostels are actually changed and we now have what are called community residential units, where a wife and children can visit their husband and father.

That is the improvement; and that is improvement in the quality of life that we have committed to as the ANC-led government. Also the improvement of the subsidy quantum - I was happy, Minister, when you said you are not going to tolerate the issue of houses that are not built properly. Shoddy workmanship has no place in the Department of Human Settlements.

Now, over and above that, we have actually improved the subsidy quantum. The government of this country is actually investing R145 000 in each unit that is being erected. This encompasses servicing of the site and the top structure and the provision of amenities for water harvesting and sanitation.

One does want to caution, on behalf of the committee, people about the tendency that they receive these houses and do not appreciate the investment that government has made. In the process of this investment, government is not only providing houses, but actually government is saying to the people that we are giving them a start to begin to create wealth.

Before this people had no property and people had no title deeds, but the provision that has been made today is that here is a house, it is yours free of charge, start to accumulate wealth because you have a property in your name, you are given a title deed in your name.

This is something people never had during the apartheid era. No government at all before the ANC ever provided houses free of charge or provided houses of the quality and in the number that the ANC government has provided.

In terms of section 26 of the Constitution, everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing, and to address this issue the state, through the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Local government, has taken reasonable measures with the available resources to achieve the realisation of this right.

Today, we rise with utmost pride to say that the ANC government has moved with the utmost speed to dismantle the legacy of apartheid in our communities. We have championed one of the massive programmes in the world to house a nation that was left destitute in its own country of birth, and whose right to decent housing was criminalised by a string of racially orchestrated policies and legislation.

Indeed, the government of South Africa is taking the country forward. [Applause.]

Hon Chairperson, the policy shift to sustainable human settlements is an expression of a new national approach that says integrated services would address basic need more holistically than the provision of individual housing. But again, the provision of adequate human settlements hinges on the expertise that we require technically.

The speed at which we can move is dependent on the quality of technical expertise that we have at municipal, provincial and national level.

To that extent I do want to call on our young people to focus their attention on studying in the fields where we need to put our emphasis and where we are going to be able to derive more gain by way of using the technical know-how and the qualifications that they would get; the fields like engineering, quantity surveying, construction, project management, bricklaying, plumbing — you name it.

All the fields that are related to construction and housing are fields where our youth need to take focus their attention because if that is not case, we are not going to be able as a government of the day to move with speed in delivering houses because we are running short of technicians and technical expertise at the level of municipalities.

Hon Minister, we want to congratulate you and your department for the very important partnership that you have developed with the Banking Association of South Africa, Basa, to look at the housing market and to come up a with product intervention that will not only stimulate the market but enable those on the outside of the margins to enter the market.

This will ensure that we close the gap and cater for those who earn enough to live but not enough to afford a housing bond.

Hon Chairperson, the Department of Human Settlements Budget Vote bares testimony to the fact that we remain on the path to transforming South Africa. Our people and nations across the globe are witnessing the erosion of the last vestiges of apartheid and the damage that was done during centuries of colonial rule. Thank you Chairperson. [Time expired.]

Mr B MADIKIZELA (WESTERN CAPE MEC FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS)

Ms L L ZWANE

Mr B MADIKIZELA (Western Cape): Chairperson, Mme Modise; Minister of Human Settlements, the hon Sisulu, and Deputy Minister, Kota-Fredericks; chairperson of the select committee, the hon Dlamini; hon members; ladies and gentlemen; and guests, the Western Cape has laid a solid foundation in the last financial year, creating over 100 000 houses and housing opportunities. I therefore am not sure where the hon Mr Khawula gets his statistics from.

Housing debates are often very emotive, and many commentators are completely out of touch with reality. Besides the history that has been mentioned here by some of the speakers, demand for housing is caused by many factors, including, for example, joblessness and urbanisation.

One of the incorrect assumptions we make is to think that every informal settlement or every shack is an indication of a housing need. Many people leave their decent homes and go to cities to look for employment opportunities, not necessarily houses. It is not surprising, then, that when these people get these houses, they rent or sell them to put food on the table. This is irrespective of the pre-emptive rights clause that prevents them from selling their houses before eight years have passed.

We, as a department, have unfortunately become a scapegoat for these economic realities. Again, the policy is completely silent on the letting or renting of the Breaking New Ground, BNG, houses. That is why one sees many shacks erected immediately after many developments go up. People move out of their houses, go back to shacks and let their houses, in many cases, to non-South Africans, who use them for trading purposes.

This is a phenomenon across the Western Cape province and across the country. For example, there are more than 8 000 legal shebeens in the Western Cape and more than 20 000 illegal shebeens, mainly operating from government-subsidised houses.

There are also many people earning between R3 500 and R9 000 a month living in informal settlements because they earn too much to qualify for a free, government-subsidised house, but too little to qualify for mortgages, and are heavily in debt.

Perhaps it is time for us to take another look at the housing policy because it seems to have entrenched a culture of dependency and entitlement, which undermines the capacity and culture of savings that exist in many of our communities. In 2013, for example, an organisation called Africa Response did research on savings in the informal sector, and discovered that more than R45 billion a year is generated by this sector through stokvels and burial societies, etc. This means that the assumption that many people who live in informal settlements cannot afford to contribute towards their houses is very, very wrong.

In another example, in 1995, there was a housing backlog of about 1,5 million households in South Africa. Fast-forward 20 years to 2015. We have built about 3,8 million houses, and 600 000 of those are in this province, the Western Cape, but the backlog is still around 2,3 million people. Now, this is a clear indication that we are fighting a losing battle, and perhaps we need to review our approach.

We are correcting the skewed pattern of housing allocations. Many older and disabled people are neglected, while younger people are prioritised. This was due to the fact that many municipalities had no reliable databases upon which to base their allocations, leaving many hyenas masquerading as community leaders to have a field day allocating houses to their families and friends.

A number of councillors and community leaders have been convicted for corruption relating to housing allocations. This resulted in my department’s intervening, through the Housing Demand Database Improvement Programme, HDDIP, to assist municipalities with their housing demand databases. All municipalities in the Western Cape now have a credible housing demand database.

After this, I announced, in 2012, that no beneficiaries under 30 years of age will be prioritised while we still have many older people waiting for houses. This was also followed by an announcement by the hon Minister Sisulu, in 2013, when she said that no beneficiaries under the age of 40 will be prioritised until older, and the most deserving people have benefited.

This policy was heavily criticised by some, who claimed to be legal and policy experts. Both of these announcements are very much in line with our policy and principle of first come, first served.

We cannot allow a situation where a number of people, particularly backyarders who have been on the waiting list for years, are overlooked and where we end up giving houses to young people who have registered only recently.

We have to make sure that older people, disabled people and child-headed households are prioritised ahead of younger, able-bodied individuals.

After this announcement I asked my department to check the status of the people on the waiting list. We discovered that more than 14 300 on our waiting list are between the ages of 60 and 100 years. This is a clear indication that this call and the stance we took was indeed justified.

There are about 667 informal settlements in the Western Cape alone, and about 2 700 informal settlements in the whole of South Africa. In fact, in 2012, when we attended the World Urban Forum in Naples, Italy, it became very clear that this is the century of urbanisation and therefore, we need to plan for informality.

That is why even though many people understand that not everyone can get a house overnight, we can no longer justify a situation where there are people who are living without basic services, such as water and sanitation. That is why we are now dedicating more resources to ensuring that we improve the living conditions of our people where they are, by at least providing basic services, such as water and sanitation.

The Minister has made a call to build 1,5 million houses. I think she has reiterated that unfortunately this will not be realised without the assistance of the private sector, because if one looks at the cost of building 1,5 million houses it will cost us about R240 billion, which is far more than the allocation of this department over the next five years.

That is why, in the Western Cape, for example, we have started to come up with innovative ways to make sure we respond to this call.

We have called for a number of developers where we advertise land and put it up as equity. We are not charging developers a cent, because we want to make sure that the savings on the cost of that land will then be transferred to the end-users, or beneficiaries, so that the houses become cheaper.

This is because the biggest challenge we are currently facing is that the people who are earning from just above R3 500 to R9 000 a month are those, as I said, who are earning too much to qualify for a free house but too little to qualify for a bond.

We have been calling on the developers, and the key question to answer here is not to ask who can qualify for a house that is over 40m². This is because one of the excuses made by developers is to say that because government is building free, 40m² houses, they cannot build houses that are smaller than that.

In fact, we are challenging them by saying if, for example, someone who is earning R6 000 a month can qualify for a 30m² house, we don’t see any reason why we cannot provide that product. So we use it as a stepping stone for those people. They can then incrementally extend their houses over time, instead of allowing the situation where these people live in informal settlements because there is no product on the market for them.

One of Human Settlements’ strategic objectives is to maximise the use of alternative building technologies in order to respond to electricity challenges and climate change. It was quite telling that after numerous engagements, presentations, pilot projects and evidence-based research on the benefits of using this method over the years, no company had ever won an open tender. I then instructed my officials to call for tenders from companies that were only using alternative building technologies.

This resulted in our appointing one of the companies to build almost 2 000 houses in Delft, using only alternative building technologies. On the day we went to hand over these houses, I remember the temperature was about 40 deg C outside. When we went into these houses, we immediately felt the benefit of this technology because the houses were so cool inside.

This is a clear indication that the benefits we were talking about of using alternative building technologies were proven on that day.

In 2012, with the assistance of Agrément SA, the National Home Builders Registration Council, HBRC, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, we started on this project to build almost 2 000 houses in Delft.

I want to emphasise the point that in order for us to respond to the challenges of climate change and global warming, we have to make sure that we convince our communities to use alternative building technologies. A number of people are resistant to this, because anything that is not brick and mortar is seen as a substandard house.

I also want to say that we, as the department of human settlements in the province, have responded to the call from the Banking Association South Africa. We are meeting our partners and developers in the next two weeks to chart the way forward so that we are able to maximise the number of houses that we are providing. This is particularly for people who are earning too much to qualify for a free house and too little to qualify for a bond, as I said. I thank you.

Mr L B GAEHLER

Mr B MADIKIZELA

Mr L B GAEHLER: Hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Chairperson, the UDM in supporting this Budget Vote would like to emphasise the following important points.

The continued shoddy work by some contractors demands that with respect to supervising and/or enforcing compliance with the Minister’s norms and standards, as well as compliance with national building regulations, the department should consider introducing measures to directly enforce compliance with the Minister’s norms and standards.

This is consistent with the fact that housing is a national competence and therefore the Minister must be empowered to take corrective and remedial action when policies are not adhered to.

Human settlement, whilst it is largely a social factor, should also be seen as being designed as a mechanism for creating jobs to eradicate poverty. There is no disputing the fact that ownership of a house when one is without a job creates further unintended problems as some beneficiaries tend to rent them out or sell them then come back to get onto the waiting list.

It is in this regard that we propose the concept of communities building their own houses, as well as taking part in the process of building houses in general, so that the transfer of skills to the owners and the members of the community should be central.

The skills transfer programme should be linked up with training institutions such as technical and vocational educational colleges. Once trained and accredited skills are practically transferred to such community groups, they should be helped to form co-operatives and small businesses to provide maintenance for the same houses and expand their market and scope. These skills should range across all the skills needed in the building environment.

The UDM welcomes the systematic abolition of hostels and building of better and safer shelter for all communities. We believe that houses ought to offer enough shelter to accommodate families. The department should also improve its monitoring of the transfer of grants to provinces with the intention of ensuring proper expenditure within a set time.

IsiXhosa:

Okugqibela, Mphathiswa, siyayivuyela into yokuba uthi uza kuqeqesha abantwana bafunde babe zii-estate agents. Siza kukhumbula kaloku, Mphathiswa, ukuba ngaphambili esi yayisisakhono esinqabileyo esasiyinzuzo kubantu abathile. Kodwa siyacela ukuba aba bantwana bayakhangelwa kujongwe naphaya ezilalini, phaya kooQuthubeni nooMqhele, kwezo ndawo kanye ukuze nabalapho abantwana bathathwe.

Enye into ekufuneka ijongwe, Mphathiswa, siyazi ukuba yiminyaka engama-20 emva kolawulo lwentando lwesininzi, kodwa asinakuziqhatha, ezoqoqosho zisezandleni zabantu abambalwa. Yinyaniso leyo, sithanda singathandi. Umzekelo, kwezinye iidolophu kunzima ukuba kuthengwe kwa umhlaba kuba amaxabiso anyusiwe. Loo nto ifuna ukuba urhulumente ayijonge. Kufuneka ajonge ukuba ingaba la maxabiso onyuswa ngoku kuba kuphethe abantu abamnyama kusini na.

English:

You will remember very well, before 1994 ...

IsiXhosa:

... ititshala kunye nomongikazi abangabelungu babekwazi ukuthenga umhlaba edolophini bakhe izindlu, kodwa ngoku loo nto ayikwazi kwenzeka. Siyazi ukuba lo mba awukho kwisebe lakho, kodwa loo nto ke iyaxela ukuba ikhona ingxaki ekhoyo kwaye kufuneka urhulumente ayijjonge. Thetha noogxa bakho kuba yilento kanye esidalele ingxaki apha elutsheni. Ndiyabulela.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS:

Mr L B GAEHLER

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson; Minister Lindiwe Sisulu; Chairperson of the Select Committee on Social Services, Mama Dlamini; chairperson of the portfolio committee, Mama Nocawe Mafu; Member of the Executive Council, MEC; hon Members of the NCOP; and honoured guests, I greet you all this afternoon.

Chairperson, may I respond to what the hon member of the IFP has said on the issue of military veterans. I just want to make the member aware that this is a new programme. It is done by the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Military Veterans.

We, in the Department of Human Settlements, provide houses of 40 m2 and the houses for military veterans are 50 m2. The 10 m2 difference is paid for by the Department of Military Veterans. The delay on their side as they are getting funding from Treasury to pay for the difference. I assure you, you’ll see the difference in the near future.

Chairperson, may I please convey my condolences to the family of our iSithwalandwe/Seaparanko, Mme Ruth, may her soul rest in peace.

The vision of the department is to have a nation housed in integrated, sustainable human settlements. Our mission is to facilitate an environment that provides this. Houses must be built in areas closer to the places of work and where there are social amenities such as parks, crèches, clinics, police stations, etc.

The vision is driven by our core values which are based on the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. These values are are as follows: accountability, fairness and equity, choice, quality, affordability, sustainability, innovation and adherence to the Batho Pele principles.

The implementation of our programme is done at the provincial level, hence 90% of our budget is transferred to the provinces. The department has been allocated R30,9 billion in the 2015-16 financial year, which increases to R33,2 billion in 2016-17, and to R35,2 billion in 2017-18. Transfers and subsidies to provinces and local government, as well as departmental agencies, take up 90% of our total allocation.

Metros also have a critical role to play in this process and that is why they have been allocated an urban settlement development grant. They have also been given the municipal human settlement capacity grant.

It has been made clear to us that not all metros are capable of spending this urban settlement development grant. Even those who are able to spend it do not do so in areas that are related to housing. We are excited by what Minister has said, namely that this money must also be used for cleaning projects which are an empowerment process for the youth — so at least it will be spent usefully.

Municipalities must plan and form partnerships with the provinces in the building of houses. The starting point is to ensure that their integrated development plans, IDPs, must include housing. We are aware that not all municipalities have the capacity to build houses, but they do have a say in the allocation criteria.

Houses cannot be built for everybody at the same time because of financial constraints, but we urge provinces and municipalities to prioritise the allocation of houses to the most vulnerable sectors in our society, namely the elderly, people with disabilities and child-headed households.

As the Minister has asserted, the upgrading of informal settlements remains a critical component of our work. Our objective is to ensure decent living conditions and sustainable human settlements.

The strength and success of the informal settlements upgrading programme lies in its ability to draw in communities. Communities must be active participants in these government delivery programmes and this process must lead to job creation and build social cohesion, especially the reblocking and renumeration of informal settlements.

People may be poor, but they have ideas of how their living conditions can be improved. As government we must allow them to partner with us in order to unleash this potential.

Special attention needs to be paid to the upgrading of those informal settlements located in areas where there are health hazards, such as along river banks and on dolomitic land, as well as informal settlements where they are being subjected to threats of eviction or court procedures.

What is important is that in each informal settlement there should be access to basic services such as water, electricity and access roads. In many instances these informal settlements suffer a great deal when there are fires, because these areas are inaccessible to fire engines.

We are proud of the fact that this department has taken very seriously the issue of mainstreaming women economic empowerment in the sector. The Minister has agreed that 30% of the budget for housing projects should be set aside for women contractors.

It is critical that all provinces have a women’s building programme every year in which 1 156 houses are built by women contractors and handed over in August, the women’s month, to the beneficiaries.

We call upon women to make use of these opportunities. South African women in construction and other professional women contractors are already on board. We are happy to report that we do have women contractors who are at Grade-9 level.

The Motheo construction is one of them and it has been in this sector for a long time. During this process it has produced many subcontractors. Our goal is to have more grade 9 women contractors

The Department of Human Settlement has entered into a social contract for development of sustainable human settlement with the private sector, civil society organisations, professional bodies, practitioners and research institutions. This was done during the human settlements indaba when they signed a social contract.

I want to congratulate all provinces that have successfully hosted the Govan Mbeki awards. The purpose of these awards is to promote and inculcate a culture of service excellence in the human settlements’ sector. The delivery of quality homes and the restoration of dignity to South Africans is critical.

I had an opportunity to attend the Eastern Cape awards which were held at King Sabatha Dalindyebo in Mthatha. This shows clearly that the Eastern Cape is serious about revitalising Mthatha and honouring the legacy of our icon Tata Madiba. May these awards grow from strength to strength. The national government awards will be held here in August. I thank you.

IsiXhosa:

Siyaqhuba. [Kwaqhwatywa.]

Ms G C SHABALALA

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Ms G C SHABALALA (Mpumalanga): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP; hon Minister of the Department of Human Settlements Ms Lindiwe Sisulu; hon members of the NCOP; hon members of the NA; officials of the Department of Human Settlements; our esteemed traditional leaders; representative of the SA Local Government Association, Salga; ladies and gentlemen, all protocol observed, it is with great pride and rare honour that I am being afforded an opportunity of this nature to address this august House in the policy debate of the Budget Vote, as presented by the hon Minister of the Department of Human Settlements.

May I hasten to mention that we, as the province of Mpumalanga, support the general thrust and principle of the policy and budget speech of the hon Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, and further thank her for her undoubted commitment to ensuring that our people are provided with quality, integrated and sustainable human settlements.

We can confirm that there is good progress with the construction of integrated sustainable human settlements.

Through her support, our province has been able to record over 55 000 new, quality houses from 2009 to 2015. We further welcome the recent pronouncement by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu that hostels have been banned in our country.

In line with this commitment, our province has converted the Sakhelwe hostel in Emalahleni and Sakhile hostel in Lekwa into world-class family units because we believe that hostels were creations of apartheid, which separated husbands from their wives and families through the migrant-labour system. This brought untold suffering to millions of families in order to perpetuate the separate development, as per the design of the evil system of apartheid and oppression. [Applause.]

In terms of contracts for the development of sustainable human settlements, we need to galvanise the young people in the construction sector by providing them with the necessary skills as well as empowering them with the business skills to run and manage their small businesses.

It is imperative that every province and municipality in the country begins to absorb the young people into major projects that are meant to build integrated human settlements.

Whilst we commit ourselves to involving our young people, we should not compromise the quality of our products. We need to avoid building houses that reflect poor workmanship. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the artisan programme in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and further education and training, FET, colleges.

The Sector Education and Training Authority, Seta, should partner with the private sector in order to adapt our young people for purposes of skills development.

Internationally, women and youth constitute important pillars or assets in every progressive society. Thus, in empowering them, we ensure a long-term investment and, at the same time we are changing our socioeconomic environment in a manner that is sustainable by creating skilled, employable and self-sustainable individuals.

It is common cause that the Department of Human Settlements is applying a range of measures that is poised to support women in human settlements and emerging contractors in the housing sector. Furthermore, these measures should, amongst other things, be able to address issues such as credit, lack of skills, bridging finance and lack of supportive institutional arrangements within the human settlements value chain.

Hon Chair, allow me to share with the House some details of the Breaking New Ground, BNG, housing project. In the period from 2002 to date, the Department of Human Settlements has successfully developed and implemented the integrated human settlements concept as stipulated in the Breaking New Ground policy.

The BNG policy is significant in its audacity and scope. The policy successfully deconstructs the most salient failing of the first-generation housing policy and recasts the imperative for adequate shelter as, in fact, a policy commitment to the development of sustainable human settlements, rooted in a modernising and advanced capitalist economy.

The BNG policy framework commences with a statement of the problems and deficiencies of the former state housing programme, the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, termed “Challenges”. These challenges are threefold: firstly, the changing nature of housing demand at the lower end of the housing market; secondly, the nature of the housing supply; and thirdly, the slowdown in delivery.

The arrest and containment of the 1994 backlog and current demand are outpacing the delivery capacity of the state. The BNG explains it as follows:

Despite scale delivery, the changing nature of demand and the pace of urbanisation have meant that the size of the backlog has increased. Current figures indicate that there are over 1,8 million dwellings which can be classified as inadequate housing. The number of households living in shacks in informal settlements and backyards increased from 1,45 million in 1996 to 1,84 million in 2001, an increase of 26%, which is far greater than the 11% increase in population over the same period.

In this second part of the BNG, the vision and related objectives are detailed as follows:

The new human settlements plan reinforces the vision ... to promote the achievement of a non-racial, integrated society through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing. Within this broader vision, the department is committed to meeting the following specific objectives: accelerating the delivery of housing as a key strategy for poverty alleviation; utilising provision of housing as a major job creation strategy; ensuring property can be accessed by all as an asset for wealth creation and empowerment; leveraging growth in the economy; combating crime, promoting social cohesion and improving quality of life for the poor; supporting the functioning of the entire single residential property market to reduce duality within the sector by breaking the barriers between the first economy residential property boom and the second economy slump; and utilising housing as an instrument for the development of sustainable integrated human settlements, in support of spatial restructuring.

Following on from this point, the BNG plan signals a break with the past and spotlights the interconnectedness of the housing market. Briefly, the new plan now addresses itself to the entire residential sector and not only to the bottom end of the market.

This creates room to identify linkages within segments in the market and to build a case for private-sector actors to champion policy interventions to enable or empower individuals and households to deploy their subsidy in different ways in order to remove barriers to housing trade and enhance access to title deeds.

The Klarinet Integrated Housing Project at Emalahleni was voted the best BNG project at the 2013 National Govan Mbeki Awards. The BNG is funded through public funds and financial institutions.

As I conclude, we need to see more human settlements like the Klarinet model throughout the country so that our people can be settled in proximity to their places of work to reduce the transport costs and to promote real social cohesion in the next two decades of our freedom and democracy in an open, nonracial, nonsexist society underpinned by human dignity and equality. Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr D M STOCK

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Mr D M STOCK: Chairperson, the hon Minister and the Deputy Minister, hon Members of the NCOP, special guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am also honoured and privileged to participate in today’s debate on human settlements which, amongst other things, takes place a few weeks after we have just freshly celebrated Freedom Month in April.

This morning we received the sad news in regard to the passing of one of our outstanding revolutionaries and also a veteran of our movement, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati. This veteran of our struggle has devoted her entire life to the movement to ensure that the people of this country ultimately receive freedom in their life time.

Setswana:

Robala ka kagiso Seaparankwe, ntwa o e lole ebile o e fentse.

English:

Freedom Month continues to represent a significant time in the political calendar of this country. Many of our revolutionary martyrs sacrificed everything they had at that time to ensure that all South Africans would be free to enjoy the benefits of freedom today.

Amongst others, we are reminded of the tenacious fighting spirit of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, who was murdered by the white, apartheid regime on 6 April 1979. It is always important to refer to such important moments in our history in the political calendar of our country, and hence also giving context to the youth brigade which has actually been prioritised by the Department of Human Settlements.

It is always important not to forget because if, one day, we happen to forget some of these significant pages of our history then we will continue to behave as if there were never an apartheid regime or rather as if the apartheid regime is something which can be celebrated.

I think it’s also important to indicate that what hon Sparks indicated was trying to insinuate or encourage the citizens of this country to celebrate the bad legacy of Hendrik Verwoerd.

I must take this opportunity to condemn it in the harshest possible terms and it must never be allowed to happen again in our lifetime — and also as part of the history of South Africa.

Within the context of South Africa’s democracy, during the 21 years that the ANC has been leading this government, there have been many leaders who we can celebrate – leaders who came and went after they had made a positive impact on the lives of both the ordinary citizens of this country and the international community.

We start from the era of Nelson Mandela, who was also not indicated as being part of the smart politicians of this country, so it was wrong for him to make such a reckless and uncalculated statement.

We have also recently celebrated another fearless martyr who was brutally assassinated outside his house in Boksburg on 10 April 1993. It is also important not to forget these important pages in our political history because some of us know this martyr, Comrade Chris Hani, to have been a disciplined umKhonto weSizwe, MK commander who occupied the frontline against the apartheid forces in Zimbabwe. He was a fearless revolutionary whose conviction was to see the political and economic emancipation of our people. His last sacrifice, through offering his life, was the passage from the apartheid dispensation to a people’s government.

The President of the Republic, His Excellency Jacob Zuma, in this year’s state of the nation address highlighted the following issues regarding human settlements: the building of houses and provision of other services to revitalise the mining towns - which the Minister and the Deputy have actually highlighted in their speeches - as part of the October 2012 agreement between business, government and labour; the upgrading or conversion of hostels into family units; and a total of R290 million has been approved for the upgrading of the informal settlements through the National Upgrade Support Programme, NUSP.

The Freedom Charter stipulates that all people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and bring up their families in comfort and security. Thus there should houses, security and comfort for our people.

The National Development Plan, NDP, in its content postures an articulation underpinned by the aspirations of the men and women who gathered in Kliptown in 1955, to craft the Freedom Charter.

The South African society is characterised by overarching elements of unemployment, poverty and inequality. In terms of my own view, the plan to eliminate poverty and inequality rests on six pillars.

The first pillar is that it is always important to unite all South Africans around the common programme to fight poverty and inequality, and also to foster a spirit of unity;

The second pillar is active citizenry, which means that walking individually and collectively with others in the communities, citizens have a critical role to play in their own development and the development of our country;

The third pillar is growing in an inclusive way. Without faster and more inclusive economic growth it will not be possible to deliver the objectives we have set out for ourselves.

The fourth pillar of the plan addresses the urgent need to build capacity – this applies to both the people and the state;

The fifth pillar is a capable and developmental state. We define a developmental state as one that is capable of intervening to correct historical inequalities and to create opportunities for more people; and the last, which is the sixth pillar, is the responsibility of leadership of society to work together and solve our problems and to have the necessary political argument.

The Department of Human Settlements is certainly on its way to breaking new ground because they have already started the Breaking New Ground, BNG, project which is set on developing integrated, sustainable human settlements over a period of five years.

This is a daunting but necessary task considering the challenges in the housing sector and in South Africa in general. The challenges are grounded partly in following context.

The South African population is roughly estimated to be at over 52 million, and more and more people are actually relocating from rural to urban areas for better economic opportunities. Informal settlements are prevalent in our societies. Many people live in congested spaces in backyards. There is a backlog in the issuing of title deeds, provision of houses, basic amenities, and so forth.

Second to this is the recognition that housing is an asset, and our people need to know and understand what owning a BNG house means to them. The department is raising awareness - continuously and consistently through its communication and outreach strategy – that our people may not sell their houses before they have lived in them for at least eight years and thereafter the first buyer should be the government. This is critical in contributing towards ending the poverty trap.

Our people should always know the value of owning property - which is of critical importance - and also the value of their houses, not only for themselves but also for the future generations.

It is commendable that the department is going beyond this particular phenomenon and placing the focus on accelerating delivery of quality houses, implementing programmes toward the revitalisation of urban areas or inner cities and the revitalisation 22 mining towns in six provinces. This serves as yet another step in the right direction.

In order to assist our people to understand its policies, accompanying the White Paper of Human Settlements, the department has created a television series which is called Breaking New Ground which will start on SABC 2 from tomorrow, 13 May 2015. I encourage all hon members to watch that particular programme because it not only explains the departmental policies, but also the work done by the department.

The value of this is that it also gives a national picture of what has been done and gives hope that our approach is the best solution for the problems we face.

Lastly, as another indication of poverty alleviation and economic development, the department is fostering the employment of youth through its youth brigade - the original youth brigade and not what hon Khawula referred to - in the context of many young people having sacrificed their lives for this freedom, and also in line with the contributions of Solomon Mahlangu and other young martyrs of this country.

The programme will help provide skills to the youth for the job market, and in addition it will also provide them with more job opportunities in a short term. For example, some of them will qualify to be estate agents after their completion of the training programme.

Undoubtedly, uMnyango weZokuhlaliswa kwaBantu uyaqhuba.[ the Department of Human Settlements is progressing.]

The work that the department has embarked upon should be supported by all as it will be of great benefit to the people of South Africa – our people.

On behalf of the select committee, also taking my queue from the chairperson of the select committee, hon Dlamini, I also support the Budget Vote of this particular department.

IsiZulu:

Siyaqhuba, siyasebenza.

SeTswana:

Re dira go tlala seatla.

Cllr THABO MANYONI (Salga)

Mr D M STOCK

Cllr THABO MANYONI (Salga): Salga — the true representative of local government!

Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, the House at large and ladies and gentlemen, we are saddened by the passing away of the former mayor, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Isithwalandwe/Searapankoe. Let us remember Mme Mompati as one of a crop of leadership that established local government as we celebrate 15 years of democratic local government.

We would like to first acknowledge the leadership and clear direction the Minister has brought to this portfolio, which she has sustained and demonstrated again in this year’s Budget Vote speech.

We have seen movement particularly in three areas: firstly, decisions taken in the policy arena, the Green Paper for example; secondly, decisions also taken to address thorny institutional issues such as the Social Housing Regulatory Authority, SHRA; and lastly, the progress that is finally being made on slow-moving areas of implementation, for example housing for military veterans.

Furthermore, a much-needed discussion has begun on the most important policy and principle issues. Who do we prioritise for the Breaking New Ground, BNG, houses? How do we actually reshape our apartheid-era cities? At the same time, there is movement and attention on actual projects which will create changes on the ground. Policy, after all, is implemented through projects.

In keeping with the focus for delivery, I want to pick up on just three main ideas. The first one is partnerships. The selection of partnerships as the theme for the Budget Vote speech could not have been more appropriate.

The chief issue before us is how to most effectively and efficiently deploy all the resources available to us to deliver. The main aim of intergovernmental co-ordination is therefore to ensure that those resources are mobilised — form all spheres — and effectively converted into outcomes.

Regardless of the classification set out in the schedules of the Constitution, we all know that housing and human settlement is a local government issue. Angry residents, involved in service delivery protests, toyi-toyi at the doorstep of the municipality.

In recent years, the courts have ascribed responsibilities to local government which include the provision of alternate accommodation for those who would be rendered homeless by an eviction. Our expanded definition of human settlements — including neighbourhoods with parks, schools and other amenities — requires municipal involvement in the areas of land use, planning, land acquisition and bulk infrastructure installation.

Effective intergovernmental relations, IGR, is critical because our communities are not interested in whether a function is fulfilled by national, provincial or local government. They are interested in whether houses have been built and whether the areas they live in are comfortable, safe and affordable.

Afrikaans:

Dit maak nie eintlik saak wie die werk hanteer nie. [It does not matter who does the work.]

English:

When we are looking forward, the implementation of the 50 catalytic projects is going to be a real and true test of our IGR in the human settlements sector. Effective delivery is our goal; let us keep our eyes on the prize and rise to the IGR challenges.

The second point I think we need to look into is the issue of spatial transformation and the mega projects that we should be involved in. The reality is that after 20 years, we have failed to substantially shift the layout of our cities and to reverse the apartheid legacy, which leaves the poor on the outskirts, unable to affordably access jobs and opportunities.

We have had some successes in changing certain neighbourhoods and investing in particular precincts, but looking at the big picture, our cities are basically the same shape they were 20 years ago, for all intents and purposes. But we must remember that although the apartheid legacy is unique, we are not the first country to face the challenge of changing the spatial make-up of cities to make them more inclusive and to bring poor households closer to the centre and nearer to opportunities.

We can learn from other cities, for instance the merging of East and West Berlin and other major cities. In most cases, where a turnaround in cities has been achieved, it is also through partnership with the private sector – I must indicate that this is also notable in the Mangaung metro.

As we roll out these 50 projects country wide, we must retain the boldness and appetite for innovation. Often the innovative, untested aspects get sidelined and deprioritised as the actual roll-out of the project demands trade-offs and budget cuts. Let this project be different because in 10 years time, we want to look around at our big cities and say, “Yes, this is an entirely different city to it was 10 years ago. It feels different and looks different.”

The third point is densification. Linked to the issue of spatial restructuring is the challenge of densification. Despite its inclusion in BNG policy, we have not yet managed to densify effectively. We welcome the prioritisation of backyard dwellers announced in the budget speech, as this is a critical priority in terms of addressing the basic needs of poor households.

Based on extensive research we have undertaken, the position of Salga is that municipalities must focus their interventions on utilising, guiding and facilitating the positive aspects of the backyard sector, recognising that it is an important provider of well-located and affordable rental units. Backyard rentals also contribute to densification and the better use of well-located land.

Our vision is that backyard-dwelling will never be fully eradicated, but will continue to play a limited and managed role in providing access to our cities. They provide a temporary option to some residents, but should not be a long-term solution for households.

Local government’s aim, therefore, should be to slow the growth of backyard units and to improve the quality of accommodation for existing tenants without formalising or overregulating the sector. We have seen innovative pilot projects by municipalities to deliver basic services to backyard dwellers. These project can be expanded and shared with other municipalities.

The implementation of the Spatial Land Use Management Act provides another opportunity for innovation by municipalities, in zoning and also for land use in order to support densification as part of a holistic, spatial plan for the city. In the absence of a national policy on densification, what possibilities do the Spatial Land Use Management Act offer to municipalities to take the lead in spatial restructuring?

Densification also requires greater technical innovation in terms of project business plans and building technologies — we must go up. For too long, government-subsidised housing, both rental and ownership, has been stuck on the fourth floor.

Ultimately, this is not sustainable and not smart. If we apply our minds more, we can make multistorey buildings in well-located areas, financially viable. We have no other option if we intend to bring poor households closer to the city centre and make public transport financially viable.

In her Budget Vote speech last year, the Minister referred to the golden era of housing during her previous time in this portfolio. Let our time now be the new golden era, where 21 years after the birth of our democracy, we reach a tipping point in our effort to tackle the human-settlements challenge.

As Salga, we reiterate our wholehearted commitment on behalf of local government to be a really constructive partner in this endeavour; one who assists with finding and sharing solutions and pursuing innovation. The vision the Minister has set out is possible, but only if we, as she indicated, think differently, do things differently and work together.

IsiXhosa:

Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.]

Mr W F FABER

Cllr THABO MANYONI (Salga)

Mr W F FABER: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, considering almost 97% of the department’s budget is transferred to provinces and metros, it is essential that we look at what is going on at the grassroots levels. It does not come as a surprise to me when we look at the outcomes of delivering houses that delivery is substandard.

That is very much the same as hon Kota Fredericks performance as the Western Cape campaign manager for the ANC in the recent 2014 elections, obviously.

The Minister has to spend more time on oversight into the corruption and maladministration that individual projects experience. Minister, there is a lack of effective monitoring and evaluation of projects in all our provinces. In the same way as the corruption that occurs in the national government, local ANC municipalities employ fly-by-night contractors who are politically connected. Some of these companies are responsible for poor workmanship and are not even accredited.

Of the 45 hostel upgraded in six provinces since 2009, over 2 000 units are still unoccupied.

In Gauteng, 252 units are illegally occupied and court processes are currently underway to evict these illegal occupants. Some were also given houses by some ANC councillors and officials — their friends and connections.

It is worrying that certain provinces have not ensured the legal occupation of these upgraded hostels as they will likely need to be secured and possibly rectified, which will mean additional expenditure.

In mining towns the budget will increase by an additional R71,6 million in the 2015-16 financial year. In Rustenburg’s informal settlements, only four of the planned 19 projects were underway last year and now hon Dlamini wants to come here and tell us that a further 1,5 million houses for the growing backlog will be built. When will this happen, hon member? It will happen, perhaps when the DA takes over.

In Johannesburg and Tshwane, the municipalities underspent R3,4 billion on their allocated Urban Settlement Development Grant, USDG. It means South African schools are without the necessary infrastructure that is being promised and owed to them by the Gauteng provincial government.

In the past three years, R2 billion was spent on fixing RDP houses that were badly built. Hon Stock, hon De Beer, in the Northern Cape, R6,9 million was spent on the restoration of only 32 houses. This amounts to R216 000 per house!

In the Free State, R80 million was spent to build just 264 houses, which amounts R302 200 per house. So we can go on and on in some of these provinces. It appears that the ANC has a long-term plan to continue a cycle of building shoddy houses and employing more and more contractors to do upgrades. Again, under the ANC, only the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.

We stand here and go on about your department’s successes, but this is contrary to what we have found goes on on the ground. Improved monitoring equals accountability, delivery and more housing opportunities for our people.

Finally, in Soweto, in informal mining hostels, many residents complain of the appalling conditions that infringes on their human dignity and respect. Where is Minister Sisulu? We treat South Africans with respect, Minister.

Minister, I see you have a nice blue dress on today, very much the same as our SA Airways air hostesses’ dresses. Perhaps the Minister should fly less on those fancy flights. Get on the ground and see what is happening on the ground, where the real problems exist. I thank you.

Mr J P PARKIES

Mr W F FABER

Mr J P PARKIES: Hon Chair, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, members of the legislatures and members of the NCOP, let me make the humble request that you make me aware when I am left with two minutes, so that I highlight the important issues.

The member from the DA, hon Mbambo, talks about the allocation of houses on the basis of political parties. We need to tell members of the opposition that distortions and lies are part of liberal politics.

Another point they talk about is corruption. The DA as a political party in our politics never talks about corruption in the corporate sector, precisely because they represent their class interests. Again, they will forever cover up for the masters of grand larceny in our land.

The MEC from the DA talks about the culture of dependency, but he immediately contradicts himself by the reasons he gives for our people being forced to sell their houses. It is a contradiction because what is happening in our country is informed by the social ills that exist in our society.

Hon Faber, the transfer of resources from the fiscus to local government and provincial government is informed by what we believe in, namely the unitary state. We need to share resources and mobilise the resources of this country so that we achieve holistic development in our society.

I personally feel honoured to be part of the important debate of this esteemed Council, which stands for the allegorical expression of the people’s interest in the country. I want to quote Frederick Douglass:

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle.

Human settlement in our country has come a long way in the history of our society or country, with the codified system that distorted our image and destroyed our people — laced with the hostile propaganda. It is the ruthless system that based its existence on the voracious accumulation and exploitation, not on the social basic needs of our people.

It is for this reason that we ought to tell the demented politicians in our Parliament, in this House, that we cannot by whatever criteria hold ourselves apart from history, they included.

All that happened within the economy is apartheid capitalism in shape and content. The low standard of living of our people was a conscious and deliberate variant of the autogenous development policy of the apartheid system.

Indignity and humiliation was normal and protected for our people. So to correct this vicissitudes of the horrible legacy of colonialism of special type, we need aggressive implementation of our policies.

We, however, note and pride ourselves on the astronomical progress we have made since 1994. There are people who benefited from this housing programme of our government. Let us better educate our people about the importance of having a property or shelter in the form of an RDP house. The challenge facing us is the selling of these houses by our people with the pretext of making a living.

The bloated vampire elite in the corporate world and others will opportunistically continue to exploit this gap for their own selfish, senile interests. Our government will do no harm to change the policy. We develop a policy to solve a particular social ill; but if the policy cannot circumvent that social ill, we are in power and have the authority to change the policy.

We need to make it difficult for anyone to sell off the RDP house. The RDP house should rather belong to the state. It means these articulate revolutionaries always think alike. The state must take over instead of a granny or somebody buying the RDP house. Our people could have the authority to lease, as these houses belong to them and are registered as such at the Deeds Office.

This confirms that we can give, without shame, the palpable form of the progress we have made. Our collective efforts, impetus and tenacity will determine the pace of change in the development and economic growth our country needs.

This fast pace forward also relates to skewed spatial planning and development which resemble the vestiges of the past.

We are tenacious in our belief that the 50 catalytic projects highlighted by the Minister will live up to the expectation pertaining to stopping the continuation of the past in the present - meaning the skewed spatial planning in our land. We need to prioritise our old citizens in terms of shelter. Nothing will ever justify that an old granny of between 70 and 100 years of age is without a shelter in twenty years of democracy.

Young people must go to school and learn to be engineers so that they can assist the ANC government to have capacity. Surely, our policies as the ANC government will not just be a tissue or collection or tawdry imitation of the past system or Western ideas. Planning is regarded as the powerful instrument of scientific prediction based on the recognition of laws of social development.

The???: I am just confirming the two minutes.

Mr J P PARKIES: Two minutes? Let me highlight the issues.

The struggle against colonialism sought to act against the very manifestation and vices of social relations. It is in this context and for this reason that the exercise of state power by the democratic state ought to give effect to the firm centripetal of our organised efforts.

Human settlement is central to the development of our communities and economic growth. Let me quote Chris Hani when he said in 1991 December that-

... political freedom without social reconstruction will be meaningless. There needs to be a new growth path which creates wealth more efficiently than the present economic policies, but also ensures that such wealth is used to better the lives not only of a few, but of all.

As much as we appreciate the contribution, the giving of land by mining houses, the financial sector must come on board — and not on its own terms. The financial sector should deploy resources for education and in terms of shelter for our people. Thank you.

[Applause.]

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Mr J P PARKIES

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Thank you very much, Chairperson. I would like to thank all those members of the House who spoke and who supported the budget. I thank them for their wisdom in support of the budget.

I have nothing else to say just yet to those who have not supported the budget.

I have been very heartened in listening to members who supported the budget. Their understanding of the issues of human settlements gives me hope that the partnership with progressive forces that we have in this House will lead us to fortune.

I have also received a report from this House on the recent Taking Parliament to the People that the NCOP embarked upon and I will make sure that this is shared with all our MECs. The particular focus this year was on the Western Cape and it will be very instructive for all other MECs to read that report, in order for them to understand what is not happening in the Western Cape.

I thank the SA Local Government Association, Salga, for their support. We can indeed achieve another golden era with your support.

To the ANC’s hon member Dlamini, you told us that I had promised that we would conclude the building of houses for military veterans in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period. That is true. However, just two days ago I changed my mind after receiving this message from a senior member of my organisation. It reads, and I quote:

Minister, one of our Luthuli Detachment veterans, Comrade Fish, has passed away, and he lived in a shack.”

Now, 21 years down the line, we cannot wait another day. The backlog that we have for military veterans is only 5 000 houses. We have promised to build 1,5 million houses, which means that in this country we build 1 000 houses a day. We can finish the backlog for military veterans in one year, and that is what I promise. [Applause.] I also want to thank the UDM for its support.

IsiXhosa:

Umnumzana lo ebethetha apha esithi singalulibali ulutsha lwasezilalini, bendicinga ukuba uza kuthi ngakumbi olwaseNgcobo kuba bendiza kumvumela ke apho.

English:

I want to respond to other points that have been made here by members of some party that has been so caught up in the election that they have not understood what is happening around them.

Mark Twain said that it is better to keep your mouth shut and give the impression you’re stupid than to open it and remove all doubt completely. [Interjections.] [Applause.]

We were told here that the DA has a human settlements policies. There is absolutely nothing like that. Now, what does happen in the human settlements environment is that we have a Minmec, and jointly all of us deal with the policies. So I don’t know what is being talked about with regard to DA policies on human settlements.

At this point I want to mention that we have partnerships with universities so as to professionalise the human settlements environment, and in particular we have partnerships with the University of the Witwatersrand and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University which are offering courses.

I would like to encourage members of the DA to enrol in these courses because they might learn something about human settlements, since quite clearly, nothing will get through to them. [Interjections.] I am certain that Parliament does have money set aside so that they can be educated. There is no other way that we can help them.

What I found very interesting is that the MEC for Human Settlements in the Western Cape is sitting here and he is not telling members of the DA that the worst culprit with regard to the Urban Settlements Development Grant, USDG, is the City of Cape Town. For two successive years they have not been able to use their USDG.

This means that they have not been able to supply services to our people in order to better their lives. They have not used the R996 million — almost a billion rand — in two years. It is a shame, an absolute shame! [Interjections.] [Applause.]

Hon MEC, please take your people to some educational camp so that they understand what is happening. Perhaps it was the election, but let’s hope they get out of it. I think it is a shame and as this House we must find a way of sanctioning those municipalities and provinces that are not performing. It is our responsibility here.

Finally, we have done very well in this country with regard to human settlements. This is universally acknowledged. We have received international awards aplenty. We have done better than any other country in terms of human settlements ... [Applause.] ... and anyone who denies this is suffering from a mental backwardness that can only be called stupidity. We have done very well and we can still do better. I thank you very much. [Applause.]

The???: Thank you. Allow me, hon members, even though it is said that you cannot praise the fish for swimming, to thank the Minister, Salga, special delegates and the MEC for making yourselves available for this debate. It is very much appreciated.

Debate concluded.

Mr E MAKUE:

Ms L N SISULU

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - NAIROBI INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE REMOVAL OF WRECKS, 2007 WITH EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM.

Mr E MAKUE: House Chairperson, the Select Committee on Economic and Business Development adopted the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007, and today presents same for the approval of this House and subsequent ratification by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.

South Africa’s coastline accounts for 3 000 km, along which significant shipping traffic passes. South Africa plays an essential role in the maritime industry across the globe. To date, approximately 85% of the country’s trade demonstrates movement by sea.

We all know that the President of the Republic of South Africa has launched Operation Phakisa, which seeks to unleash great opportunities in our ocean economy. Through Operation Phakisa, it is expected that many jobs needed for our people will be created.

Our economy is anticipated to grow, and still we all know that it will be hard to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality in our society if our economy is not growing as articulated in the National Development Plan, NDP.

South Africa is an ambitious country, hard at work. As always we are ready to uplift the material conditions of all our people for the better. We also expect that South-African-owned carriers will actively participate in the export and import industry in the region and globally.

The maritime industry contributes billions of rands annually to our economy and we can do more. Having said that, we are mindful of the negative environmental issues that need to be considered and addressed with the growth of the maritime economy. Among other things, this convention that we are presenting to you today considers and seeks to address the environmental protection legislative issues. Negative environmental costs affect development adversely.

Some of the primary objectives for developing the convention were to decrease the incidents and accidents at sea; accidents involving ships; abandonment of ships by owners; hazards to navigation; and maritime environment protection.

The costs of manage the oceans are increasingly high. The burden has been placed on states and is directly squeezing the national fiscus, thus compromising government’s social and economic development priorities.

This convention that we are presenting to you today seeks to lessen the burden on the state. In response to this, the convention put financial obligations for locating, marking and removal of wrecks on the shipowners. Strict liability is on the owners.

The convention saves the needed resources and we know that these savings will be redirected to pressing national priorities. The select committee recognises the need to be part of this convention. The convention’s primary objectives seek to create uniform standards, including uniformity of legal instruments to be applied and the application of international law governing the oceans.

South Africa will continue to implement the conventions of the International Maritime Organisation, Imo. In doing so, we will attract shipowners to our flag.

We must also see this initiative as part of the broader critical legislative and policy steps to lift the performance of South Africa’s ocean economy. The convention will create employment opportunities and the salvage industry will grow and be enhanced.

More business opportunities will be created. Training and development programmes targeting previously disadvantaged people will be taken to new heights and through tha, more jobs will be created.

On 18 March 2015, the Select Committee on Economic and Business Development unanimously adopted the convention. It is clear that when national issues are placed on this government’s agenda, South Africa always demonstrates an ability to resolve such issues in the best interests of all our people.

On behalf of the select committee I present this report with explanatory memorandum to this House. Thank you.

Debate concluded.

Question put: That the Report be adopted.

In favour: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.

Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

The Council adjourned at 16:37.

Audio

No related

Documents

No related documents

Hansard: NCOP: Consideration of report of Select Committee on Economic and Business Development - Nairobi International Convention on the removal of wrecks, 2007 with explanatory memorandum

House: National Council of Provinces

Date of Meeting: 12 May 2015

Summary

Minutes

Audio

Documents

What's wrong with this page?