Hansard: NA: Mini-Plenary (Debate on Vote 33 )
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 10 May 2023
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Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 10 MAY 2023
VOTE NO 33 – HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
PROCEEDINGS OF MINI - PLENARY SESSION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Watch: Mini-Plenary (Debate on Vote 33 )
Members of the mini-plenary session met at Committee Room M46 at 15:01.
House Chairperson Ms M G Boroto took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayer or meditation.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G Boroto): Hon members, I am told that some of our guests from the members of the executive and the mayors were accommodated somewhere, but they ae online on the virtual platform. I also wish to acknowledge their presence and appreciate that they are here. I am told that they could not be here because of the limited space. I should think next time we should look at the bigger space because at least we have a gallery where we can accommodate them.
Otherwise we really appreciate your being here.
Hon members, without any further ado, let me ask the Secretary to read the order.
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 33 – Human Settlements:
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Hon House Chairperson, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements the hon Semenya and members of the portfolio committee, Ministers and Deputy Ministers who have joined us, specifically the Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Settlements, Pam Tshwete, MEC of human settlements and mayors who have joined us, members of boards and councils of human settlement entities, the Acting Director-General of the Department of Human Settlements Ms Sindisiwe Ngxongo, the deputy director-general, chief executive officers and entities and hon members.
Today marks 29 years since Former President Nelson Mandela delivered his inaugural speech at the Union Buildings as the first president of a democratic South Africa. On that momentous occasion, he said amongst other things and I quote:
We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination.
We remember, this day vividly as it signified freedom to a black child, hope to a coloured man, friendship to a white woman, and unity to an Indian senior citizen. It is a day all of us across, gender, race, class and age understood that it meant a new leaf of life but equally, we ventured into the unknown which was a democratic society. As we reflect on this
...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G Boroto): Hon Minister, I’m so sorry.
The information, communication technology, ICT, your screens are not showing. Alright. Can you make the hon Minister to be in the middle? What is happening? Please. No! You must have a full screen! I do not know - in the middle of the screen. Yes. That is how it should be. I am very sorry, hon Minister for disturbing you. Thank you.
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Thank you very much, House Chairperson.
It is a day all of us across, gender, race, class and age understood that it meant a new leaf of life but equally, we ventured into the unknown which was a democratic society. As we reflect on this journey travelled since 1994, there are good stories to tell, lessons learned which we must carry into the future but most importantly the need to continue to uphold our democratic principles in order to build a prosperous society. We dare not fail.
We believe that service delivery to our people is an instrument by which the freedom we attained in 1994 finds meaning amongst the majority of our people. Added to this is the enabling of economic empowerment, through property ownership which our people require to meaningfully participate in the economy and improve their wellbeing. Throughout these years that we have enjoyed freedom, our people have been patiently waiting for our government to make good on its promise that said, there shall be houses, security and comfort for all. We are grateful that our people are still hopeful and willing to give our government the opportunity to make good on this promise. Indeed, as human settlements, we are saying a promise made is a promise kept and we shall keep to this promise. It is in this context that we have adopted an approach that demands, without exception, that the actions of all human settlements departments and all its entities must be devoted to achieving and fulfilling this promise.
Admittedly, the human settlements delivery system has and is experiencing numerous challenges, however, the work we have been doing to improve and stabilise the portfolio is starting to yield positive change. We made a commitment last year that we will continually improve our policies, the mode of operation and human capacity and the tools required to deliver on our mandate so that human settlements can take its rightful place in terms of primary instrument for creating a better life for all.
As part of stabilising the entities, we have appointed all boards within the past financial year and also ensured that executives are appointed. We are left with Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority, PPRA, and Community Schemes and Ombud Service, CSOS, which the process will commence soon.
We have appointed the chief financial officer together with other deputy director-generals, DDGs and also a senior management members who are going to ensure that as the leadership, they help us deliver on our plans.
Hon members, with regards to the Informal Settlement Upgrading Programme, ISUP, in the medium-term we have set a target of
1 500 informal settlements for upgrading. Thus far, a total of 1 269 informal settlements are at various phases of upgrading process. This programme has immense challenges which we plan to overcome by entering into social compacts with communities and ensuring that suitable land parcels are acquired to build houses for our communities. In the process, the department will continue to provide support to both provinces and metros to ensure that our target is achieved. We are mindful that the number of informal settlements are continuing to be on the rise and equally, our resolve to improve the lives of the people who live in these informal settlements remains.
The involvement of NGOs to improve people’s lives is an absolute imperative. In this regard, we have initiated conversations with NGOs such as Abahlali baseMjondolo and many others who are willing to collaborate with us to tackle disaster responses, social facilitation, reblocking and consultation with informal dwellers when projects are introduced in these communities.
Let me take this opportunity and express my gratitude to the NGOs such as the Gift of the Givers and Al-Imdaad organisations that continue to assist us in the communities when we deal with immediate relief for essentials services for communities during the disasters. These organisations joined us as we handed over building materials and other necessities to bring immediate relief to households affected by the fire at the Dakota Informal Settlement in eThekwini and have been assisting in many other areas.
Our government hosted an international meeting with United Nations Habitat UN-Habitat, in October last year, to launch a framework for a Global Action Plan on Slums and Informal Settlements eradication. The Global Action Plan Framework on Informal Settlements and Slums is a necessary tool for the world to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, SDG Target 11.1, which is to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrading. This year, we lead a delegation of South Africans to the assembly so that we can continue to see the implementation of the work that we have been championing as a country.
South Africa was an active proponent of the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal 11 in Agenda 2030 and ensured that the issue of informal settlements and slums was adequately addressed, even in the New Urban Agenda. We are also utilising our membership of Cities Alliance, whose management board is chaired by our very own Prof Thuli Madonsela, to intensify our fight against urban poverty, hunger and deliver sustainable development.
Hon members, last year I stood here and spoke about blocked projects. Unfortunately blocked projects continue to deny our people the opportunity to get their houses. For these reasons, we have placed blocked projects as part of the priorities by allocating financial resources and provision of technical expertise in provinces and municipalities. Crippled by instability and lack of technical capacity, last year I spoke about the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as one of the difficult municipality we were facing within the human settlements. Today I report here hon members that through the intervention of the National War Room, several projects in the Nelson Mandela Bay were unblocked, and the municipality is well on its way to meet its targets in this financial year. In March 2023, I handed over more than 270 houses in Polar Park and Qaqawuli housing projects as result of these interventions that we have made in that area. We continue to do the work in other municipalities, so that all citizens can see upon our promise.
On transforming our economy especially the properties sector especially the property sector, we remain committed a priority for our government. In terms of the Property Practitioners Act, the PPRA had to establish a Property Sector Transformation Fund. I can report hon members that this work is being implemented and the Fund Manager has been appointed with effect from 1 April 2023, to oversee the implementation of the empowerment and transformation programme. The Deputy Minister, the hon Tshwete will highlight the work we do in transformation especially in empowering women in the sector.
Hon the human settlements sector must be responsive to the ever changing human needs, which is made possible by creating an adaptive policy environment.
In line with our promise to ensure security and comfort, we have taken a policy position to improve the lives of the qualifying beneficiaries by changing the norms and standards in what we are providing. These changes are aimed at responding to the economic changes, the rising cost of living, energy, poverty, but security needs for the vulnerable. From the 1st of April, we have decided as human settlement sector that all subsidised houses that are being build will be provided with solar panels. For rural communities, we have decided that all households that are built will be given rainwater harvesting devices so that there is equal access to facilities between urban and rural areas. Most critical of our work as well we have ensured and taken a decision that all houses built for persons with disabilities, will be fitted with burglar bars to improve their security because they are vulnerable. They have responded and requested to respond to this because they get attacked. This a government that response and that listens to its citizens. [Applause.]
We have therefore decided again hon members, after interaction with service providers and those who are contractors raising concerns about the quantum that we are providing. We have increased the subsidy quantum by 29,7% for the 2023-2024 mainly to address the increasing building costs. The adjustment will ensure that we speed up the pace of delivery and ensure that the quality of houses we provide to beneficiaries does not deteriorate. More importantly to ensure that contractors do not abandoned sites due to unaffordable costs of building. This I want to acknowledge and say we have received feedback. This is the type of what when we do the Imbizos we get feedback from communities. So, we do not take decisions out of our own, but we listen to our communities and respond to what they are raising with us.
With effective from 1 April in real time, our housing programmes were adjusted as follows: A BNG which is an Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, services and top structure has been increased to a quantum of R286 000, houses for persons with disabilities increased to almost R307 000, military veterans house to R348 000, first home finance to R169 000, social housing to R460 000.
This we believe will go a long way so that our blocked projects do not continue to increase, but we provide quality services.
Hon members and ladies and gentlemen, for the financial year 2022-23, the department’s budget allocation amounts to just R35 billion, of which R19,2 billion is allocated to provinces for grants, R12,5 billion for municipal grants, R520 million for emergency housing responses and R1,7 billion will be transferred to human settlements entities.
We have decided to embrace as a portfolio Innovative Building Technologies so that our solutions are sustainable and of good quality, with efficiency and cost- effectiveness, being our primary method of disaster response. Accordingly, our primary method of response to disasters will no longer include Temporary Residential Units, instead it will prioritise Alternative Building Technologies. In this way, our immediate intervention will provide a permanent solution and do away with double expenditure on temporary accommodation and thereafter, a permanent solution.
Here are the proposed interventions for disaster response: It is Alternative Building Technology which are sustainable. More of them are 70 and 80 years durability and the cost is within our quantum. Building material supply for those who are able to build for themselves. South Africans have said to us give
us the opportunity to do for ourselves. Homeowner managed repairs through a voucher system where the disasters have happened.
Climate change is a reality, and we have to put measures not only to respond but to take preventative measures and steps working with Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, such as evacuations of families and removal of communities who have built their homes in low lying areas.
Indeed, building structures that are climate change resistant has become a fundamental strategy. Therefore we work together with the National Home Builder Registration Council, NHBRC, to ensure that the quality of the work that we are doing is actually important. We have listen to people who have raised and their concern is that the quality of houses sometimes in these communities is not up to par and therefore leaves people feeling that it is a disaster waiting to happen.
This critical area that is being addressed by the Bill that is before the NCOP as we speak and therefore leaves that to provide necessary protection for our communities and our consumers.
Hon members, it is a self-evident that government alone, without other societal stakeholders, will not be able to deliver the country’s housing needs. In this regard we are calling on the private sector to join in an important journey of housing for the nation.
This evening I am having a round table with private sector in finding lasting solutions in ensuring that we provide housing for the nation.
The National Housing Finance Corporation, NHFC, has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New Kleinfontein Goldmine to speed up the implementation of employer-assisted housing schemes. I must appreciate Minister Mantashe the support that the mining sector continues to provide and also the engagement and willing to work with us as the Department of Human Settlements.
In this current financial year, the NHFC and the Government Housing Employees Scheme will work together to implement the housing scheme programme for government employees across the country, as part of the agreements made with labour. We look
forward to this because it will provide a necessary need for our citizens.
Hon members, those who plead with us to give them title deeds are child-headed households whom without ownership, risk losing their homes; windows and elderly women who live in precarious conditions of abuse and intimidation; and beneficiaries of houses who wish to use their property to empower themselves.
Security of tenure, although enshrined in our Constitution, remains an elusive privilege for many poor families in South Africa for several years and several reasons. Some entities of state have not released the land on which many housing developments are located, others are holding on to property portfolios emanating from the pre1994 dispensation, which should have long been transferred to the families that have been occupying these properties through 99-year lease to be able to release this tittle deeds.
It is for this reason that I have initiated the Mawiga Ministerial Project to transfer almost 14 000 title deeds of which 8 000 will form part of the first phase of this project.
This is to ensure ownership for a community that has struggled for 30 years to obtain formal title to their properties. These properties are currently held by the North West Housing Corporation and the City of Tshwane.
Our Government will not rest until we have achieve land justice in this country. Breaking the apartheid spatial development requires acquisition of land. Therefore, when we see a lot of people utilising 70% of their income in terms of transport service, our work is cut out for us. In this respect, for the 2022-23 financial year, we have received 539 hectares of land that has been released by government the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to the Housing Development Agency, HDA for human settlement purposes. We have acquired 1 500 hectares of public and privately owned that has been finalised for us to be able to provide human settlements responses.
Our efforts to break the apartheid spatial development will include a combination of programmes; namely social housing, urban renewal, first home finance, informal settlement upgrading and provision of serviced sites amongst others.
I am pleased to report that over the past year as well the Social Housing Regulatory Authority, SHRA, has successfully completed the construction 14 social housing projects. The investment into the sector has led to more than 7 900 job opportunities being created.
On the eradication of asbestos as one of the priorities that we have set. We have been to eradicate almost 1 500 roofs in Seshego and 1 200 in kaNyamazane in Mpumalanga.
The department is committed to the eradication these asbestos roofs and we have allocated a total of R220 million for this financial year through the Human Settlements Development Grant, HSDG, in the provinces of Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to implement 27 projects across those provinces to remove the asbestos roofs.
One of the areas that we are concerned and we have made it a priority is the removal of mud houses.
Since last year’s pronouncement on the prioritisation of the eradication of mud houses, five provinces have implemented the programme to eradication mud houses. In this financial year,
8 262 mud houses were eradicated. This is the previous financial year, sorry. In this financial year we have set aside R1,7 billion which remove 11 791 mud houses across the country.
We will introduce the use of remote sensing through satellite technology and other mechanisms to be able to remove this asbestos. Sorry remove the mud houses across the country. This means we need the capacity of the skills that we have to do.
With regard to human capacity we are doing a skills audit as announced by the President during one of his questions and answer session in Parliament, where we will need the skills required for the department. We will relentlessly pursue excellence and performance improvement, by applying a strict framework skills allocation system without exception.
In conclusion, Amartya Sen, in Development as Freedom said and I quote:
Development consists of the removal of various types of unfreedoms that leave people with little choice and little
opportunity of exercising their reasoned agency. The removal of substantial unfreedoms, is constitutive of development.
Unhabitable human Settlements is one of these unfreedoms that should be removed. As human settlements we are committed to the covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, irrespective of race, gender and age, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their right to human dignity.
Hon members, I table Budget Vote No 33 for your consideration and approval and acknowledge my guests, young people who are intents in our department who ran an innovation competition. Therefore are my guests in the Budget Vote and related activities.
That is Lufuno Tshivhase, Sanelisiwe Dzanibe, Nokwazi Sibande and Mpho Mokhele. This encourages our team to continue to find innovative solutions in providing services to our communities but most importantly, responding to the challenge and responding to the call that there shall be houses, security and comfort for all. I thank you.
Sepedi:
Moh M R SEMENYA: Modulasetulo wa Ntlo yeo e hlomphegago, maloko a lekgotlaphethiii la mmuio, Maloko a Palamente yeo e hlomphegago, maloko a lekgotlaphethiii la diprofense moo ba ka bago ba le gona, setihaba ka kakaretio, re a le dumediia.
English:
Hon Chairperson, human settlement is not only about housing, but holistic development to respond to the needs of the people where they live or they are settled. This requires a government that is working with the people and various social partners for successful realisation of the policy objectives.
We welcome Budget Vote 33 on Human Settlements as tabled by the department and we are here to debate it.
As the portfolio committee we have had various engagements with the department and its entities on the key programmes affecting our people in the informal settlements, challenges facing municipalities and metros.
We have undertaken oversight visits to various provinces and we do concur that we are a nation at work, closing the
inequality gap. This is a commitment of the ANC; exist to advance. We do so within the context of our society.
Critical to recognise that more than 83,6% of South African households lived in informal dwellings in 2021, followed by 11,7% in informal dwellings and 4,2% in traditional dwellings. Households that live in informal dwellings were most common in Limpopo and Mpumalanga at an average of 96,3% and 89,8% respectively.
These statistics tell us that eight out of ten South Africans have formal shelter. This is the progress of the democratic government. These are the democratic gains we should protect and consolidate through addressing the needs of those in informal dwellings and traditional dwellings, if required.
The core problems of dignity impacts in the main for these groups. Therefore, our fiscal allocation should respond to these two out of ten sufficiently in the total of between 2,9 and 3,6 million people living in informal settlements.
It is premise that continues to place human settlements development as a key priority of the ANC government. At the
time of the survey, 13,6% of South African households were living in Reconstruction and Development Programmes, RDP, or state subsidised dwelling, over 4,5 million houses.
To argue, the democratic government has not made strides to transform society, lack scientific evidence. Much is needed to close the housing backlog.
Property market has also experienced annual national residential property price inflation. It was 5,4% in October 2022. This has a severe impact on the low income and middle strata, which is largely per curious.
As the portfolio committee we have deliberated on the plans of the department and their entities. We have received a report from the Auditor-General on the implementation of the audit outcomes. This is done to ensure that we have a comprehensive perspective on the state of the entities and the department to ensure progress in undertaking to strengthen government for efficient service provision.
I will highlight some of the key observations made by the portfolio committee and what we recommended as this is a
strategic thrush of our engagement on the budget which is a resource plan.
We welcome the department’s prioritisation of the three-year plan to unblock the projects, elimination of asbestos roofs and eradication of mud houses.
We have, thus, recommended that the department must provide a list of unblocked projects in the country and the plan to unblock them, and the list must be submitted as soon as possible to allow members, as they go to the constituency office, to be able to conduct oversight on the matter.
We welcome the work being done around the digitisation of the housing beneficiary list and recommended that the department fast track the digitisation process on housing beneficiary list, as these will ensure transparency and accountability.
Noted the progress made in filling of the vacant posts in the department and entities, and call for the expedition of the appointment of the new director-general in order to create stability in the department and in the entities.
Our agility, as a state to respond to the disaster is a critical capability we should develop as a government. We live on the times that are prone to natural disaster and our ability to provide adequate shelter, which protects the dignity of people is critical.
We support the phasing out of the emergency housing grant in order to move towards alternative housing technologies. This was because emergency housing programme was deemed to be costly to implement. And some of the provinces and municipalities could not actually move with speed to address these challenges.
The committee welcomes the use of alternative building technology, which can be assembled within seven days. We have recommended that the department needs to ensure that alternative building technologies are well communicated to communities to ensure their buy-in and support. Furthermore, ensure that alternative housing technology comply with the SA Bureau of Standards, SABS.
We have noted that the quality of services provided to our citizens was still in a challenge due to facts that housing or
human settlement is a concurrent function. Concurrency means that housing function is shared between national, province and local government.
As a result, accountability often evaded by the spheres of government and the poor performance by some of the provinces and municipalities. Therefore, we are encouraged that the department will enforce the District Development Model, DDM, to make sure that there is that co-ordination.
We further note that changes in the payment system of contractors, that the bulk of the money would not paid on the foundation phase of housing construction. This will be done to ensure that contractors do not leave construction work at foundation phase. The changes should not leave construction work at foundation phase, therefore, these changes ought to be communicated effectively.
We further support the department’s intent to change in subsidy quantum to accommodate inflation. And well done, Minister. Because there is no excuse from the contractors who build shadow work for our people and all of us should work together and make sure that we deal with contractors ...
Sepedi:
... ba mahodu, ba go jela setihaba tihelete.
English:
Our programme should always respond to the needs of the disabled and we welcome the intervention by the department’s policy to change, to provide burglar guards for disabled people. This was because there were lot of break-ins in houses owned by disabled people. These should be timely implemented to protect people with disability who are vulnerable to crime.
Restoring dignity of our people requires us to provide basic services, which are in need.
During the oversight to the Western Cape from 17 to 18 April 2023 the committee visited Khayelethu Bungalows in Knysna. In summary, these bungalows were not fit for human consumption and amounted to human rights violation.
We call on the department to urgently intervene in that area and restore the dignity of our people.
We are concerned there several reports on housing scamming in Lefereng mega-housing project. The department has to move swiftly and engage the Department of Police to make sure that thieves should not be amongst our people, they need to go to jail.
We further called on the department to resolve concrete challenges in Mbashe Local Municipality in Dutywa. People do not have access to water ... Dutywa ...yona yeo [exactly that one] ... title deeds have not been issued and there, ceiling of the government provided houses.
We have recommended that the department conduct analysis of the mentioned issues in the Mbashe Local Municipality and report back to the committee within ... Mbashe, whatever man
... within the required timeframe so that our people can receive better services as they voted for good quality and their lives should be changed to the better.
The policy change to install solar panels and jojo tanks, Minister, well done. This is something that we should applaud as government. [Applause.] This programme should be fast
tracked so that our people can be able to harvest water and have electricity to cook nice food for their families.
We have recommended issues identified by the Auditor-General on the entities. Those issues need to be addressed as soon as possible, Minister. And those who do not want to do their job, Minister, fire them, you have the support of the committee.
Amandla! [Power!] [Applause.]
Mr L MPHITHI: Thank you, House Chairperson, today we are reminded of the hopes and dreams of South Africans who in 1994 hoped to secure their dignity, opportunity and their future Embedded in these hopes and dreams was possible. Possibility that through housing families could find shelter for a place to eat, sleep, relax and raise a family. Possibility that families can even enjoy physical and mental health and live in a safe place in peace and dignity. Possibility expressed in its utmost significance in section 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa that:
Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing and furthermore the state must take reasonable legislative
and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.
Human Settlements, one of the country’s most crucial, front line service delivery departments, has destroyed this possibility. For the 13 million South Africans still living in informality, the suffering continues and we cannot be mistaken as to why it continues. It is because of the ANC, the breaker of promises, the protector of no one and the omen of impossibility. [Applause.] We know this because the wolves draped in black, green and gold wait anxiously for housing projects to be announced, eagerly rubbing their hands together salivating at the mouth at the prospect of another billion rand headed their way. A billion rand that will be divided up between incompetent cadre contractors with little going to the people. Fellow South Africans, this situation will abound for as long as the ANC remains in power.
IsiXhosa:
Kufanelekile ukuba sibakhuphe, la masela.
English:
House Chairperson, according to the Executive Authority Statement in the APP of 2022-23, a number of priorities for the year were agreed too, including increased issuing of title deeds with specific focus on clearing the pre-1994 stock; eradication of mud houses; digitisation of the beneficiary list; unblocking blocked projects; addressing asbestos roofs; and an increase on serviced sites. These priorities, continued to form part of the current financial year 2023-24. Some of these priorities were not easily traceable in the specific APP targets and indicators, which makes it difficult to identify and track these targets. For example, there were no clear strategies or targets for the number of mud houses to be rectified, or the number of title deeds to be issued within the financial year, or a deadline for the digitisation of the beneficiary list. The number of houses with asbestos roofs to be targeted were also not listed, or a number of blocked projects to be unblocked or a target for the number of serviced sites to be provided for 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Furthermore, most of the target indicators related to reports that track progress, were without clear annual targets for the number of units to be delivered for each category, making it difficult to ascertain progress on departmental priorities. In
other words, the National department has no targets in relation to its core competencies. It is clear that this debate will be a list of much more hollow promises for the upcoming year.
At CSOS, the entity that millions of people living in the complexes across South Africa rely upon for dispute resolution, there continues to be slow response to disputes that are referred to the entity with many not being adjudicated within the 90 day period. Residents continue to wait in excess of a year to have their issues attended to. As the DA, we remain concerned with this particular entity not being able to conclude their policy on revenue collection which continues to impede its work.
The DA has called on NHBRC to institute lifestyle audits on house inspectors who, in some cases, are receiving kickbacks from developers or contractors for approving poorly build houses. We strongly believe that this will go a long way in protecting South Africans against the ruthless underworld of housing projects in this country.
The National Housing Finance Corporation has still not indicated what happened to the R300 million transferred for rental housing relief. The entity took an entire year to finalise the disbursement policy. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is over the entity needs to tell us what happened to the R300 million that was set aside?
The department has also instructed provinces to provide evidence of measures taken to downscale the delivery of units, encouraging provinces to move towards a site and service approach. In the DA-led Western Cape, the rapid land release approach is coupled with pre-approved plans, bulk infrastructure, pattern books and wet cores – but in places like the Free State, un-serviced land without any infrastructure is simply placed in the hands of desperate beneficiaries. Why – because the ANC simply just does not care.
The Housing Development Agency is the subject of gross corruption and mismanagement, which has incurred in excess of R150 million in irregular expenditure in recent years. Despite the millions lost to fruitless and wasteful expenditure, the on-going investigations, and the big shot talk of officials
about consequence management. Little has been done to solve the problems of this entity. Hon members, no one must come before Parliament and talk about consequence management until we see the corrupt officials in orange jumpsuits in our country. The Minister in her genuine attempts has tried to rid the department of her predecessors corrupt patronage network, and right-size many of our most crucial entities.
House Chairperson, the most basic consumer and product relationship is that if something is not working for you, you need to change it. As the DA, we understand that an inclusive economy is possible when the public sector inspires confidence. This is why the DA believes that less red tape and more decentralised economic decision-making leads to more investment, more jobs, and more tax revenue to be spent by government on growing equality of opportunity and providing strong safety nets for the vulnerable. This cannot happen with the widespread corruption that continues unabated in this Department of Human Settlements. These actions having taken away the possibility for ordinary South Africans and deprived them of their constitutional right as outlined in section 26 of the Constitution. I Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms M MAKESINI: Thanks, Chairperson, let me take this opportunity to greet the leadership of the Economic Freedom Fighters, led by the son of the soil Julius Sello Malema.
House Chairperson, South Africa is at the peak of the housing disaster and we found ourselves leaderless and directionless in the process. Meaning that the country may explode at any moment from now on. There are currently over 2,5 million families in need of housing and at the rate, at which we are going this number will grow every year while the capacity of the state is to provide for the housing needs for the population diminishes each passing year.
In the next seven years, our population is expected to reach
65 million people and most of this growth will be congested in the urban areas. At the moment, we have no solid plan for this population explosion. We have not made any single advancement in addressing our population growth and housing needs crisis. The reason might be simple that we have no idea of how to fix the present crisis of housing in this country. The state in partnership with the right-wing and consecutive civil society movement and the racist municipality administration such as the one in Cape Town resorting to criminalising for the desperation of our people for homes without ever providing
solution to the crisis faced by the majority of our people. To them, being poor equates to being a criminal. This is literally a case across the whole country. This housing crisis is made worse by the fact that a large group of people is excluded from benefiting on government housing schemes, because they earn more than the required amount that could make them to qualify for housing subsidies. They also do not earn enough to buy their own homes too. So in this segment of the population, it is stuck and ... [Inaudible.] ... forever.
House Chairperson, linked to this crisis is the crisis of farm workers and farm dwellers. Every single year the racist farmers across the country are mistreating our people, are torturing our people, are evicting our people and farm workers are the victims every day. This practice has been strongly exercised in provinces like Free State, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape. Over two million who had contracts of their homes were evicted in this country between 1994 and 2002. There are many cases of this. Others were not recorded.
House Chairperson, the Department of Human Settlements must not outsource their responsibility when it comes to the challenges that are facing farm workers and farm dwellers to
the Department of Agriculture. This crisis persists under capitalism, housing is not considered as a basic human right. Almost 67% of evicted people end up in urban centres, mostly in informal settlements and continue to live in poverty and unemployed. Of those evicted around 58% were long-term occupiers of those farms and even their families were buried in those lands. This crisis is not just about the physical structure of a shelter, but it is about keeping and restoring the dignity of our people.
IsiXhosa:
Abakwazi ukuya kungxenxeza kwizinyanya zabo xa kukubi izinto zomhlaba zibabethile kuba bayavalelwa. Singabantu abamnyama singabantu bezinyanya, ngoko kunyanzelekile ukuba sibuyele siye kungxengxeza apho abantu bakuthi balele khona.
English:
As a classical example, this is how the DA-led City of Cape Town working together with the rich called Propel Property Solutions and we are saving our people for both the house and the development called Summerville in Kuilsriver under the disguise that the people were buying homes in a secure complex. The Propel assisted by the city force our people to
pay the levies that did not benefit them anyway. Now the Propel and the city are taking those residents to court and the government of the day is quiet for not paying these fraudulent levies in order to repossess these houses. This is a massive collusion that exists between the developer, the municipality, and the banks.
The EFF previously called the abolishment of using house security for loans from financial institutions. The housing crisis is essentially the crisis of capitalism and it can only be addressed once the capital accumulation of property is addressed. The EFF in its 2019 Election Manifesto made reference to the legislation of scraping of 20-30 years’ loan housing agreement. The EFF calls the state to convert unoccupied buildings into affordable houses for the poor and offer a secure leasehold to buildings. Only the state can reform the social housing market in the urban centre, which now has turned into a cash cow by the greedy developers to assist the compliant municipality. Minister, through you Chairperson, we went in ward 52 eThekwini in 2019 for elections ...
IsiXhosa:
...wabakhela indlu abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka ngoku abanalo ucingo, bathi buyela. Umama uKhawula uthi uyasebenza ngokhu bafuna ucingo ...
English:
... because they have been mugged every day. So we hope whatever is in your plan, you must go to ward 52 in eThekwini based on the highlight that you highlighted. The EFF reject the budget vote. I thank you.
Ms M D HLENGWA: Hon Chairperson, section 26 of our country’s Constitution states that everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing. However, 26 years after the Constitution was adopted, the government’s attempt at managing South Africa’s human settlements in an orderly and efficient manner has failed. One does not have to search far to visualise this failure, as informal settlements encamp towns, cities, mines and most centres of economic activity.
A home is a fundamental requirement for family life and for social stability. Many South Africans living in informal settlements hold on to the department’s sugar-coated promises without timelines of permanent settlement in future housing
projects. However, in reality they are stuck on an ever- growing housing list. As the country’s housing programme falls further and further behind, the onus is often on municipalities to provide temporary emergency accommodation.
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has rightly pointed out that the current disconnect between the three spheres of government is preventing housing or human settlements programmes to function concurrently, which in turn has a direct impact on South Africa’s citizens.
The purpose of the budget is to facilitate the creation of sustainable human settlements and the improvement of household quality of life. A total of 67,4% of this department’s total budget is allocated to programme 2, which is responsible for the management and transfer of conditional grants to provinces and municipalities for the implementation of housing and human settlements programmes, yet more than five million South Africans live in informal settlements.
In the April 2022 floods, more than 14 000 people were displaced with 4 000 left totally homeless, and with the district municipalities of Ugu, King Cetshwayo, uMgungundlovu
and iLembe, the local municipalities of KwaDukuza and Msunduzi, and the eThekwini Municipality being worst hit. Consequently, hundreds of families had to live in community halls for an indefinite period of time, as the department did not have adequate disaster relief measures in place. This speaks to the reactive nature of this department.
This leads me to the issue of land redistribution. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure currently announced the approved release of 2,8 hectares of land to the Housing Development Agency in the Msunduzi Local Municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal, for human settlements development and the formalisation of an existing settlement.
While the IFP welcomes this development, we need to question how funds in this budget will be allocated to ensure this project reaches completion. Unfortunately, like most departments under the current government, corruption and the mismanagement of funds always have a way of infiltrating. [Interjections.] I am the IFP. In consideration of the concerns raised, the IFP accepts the budget. [Applause.]
Afrikaans:
Mnr P MEY: Voorsitter, informele nedersettings skiet op soos paddastoele in Suid-Afrika.
English:
An HON MEMBER: Take it easy. We want to hear you.
Mr P MEY: Yes, you can hear me. I’ll give you time.
Afrikaans:
Informele nedersettings skiet op soos paddastoele in Suid- Afrika. Ek wil vir u sê dat die begroting totaal onvoldoende is om ooit die agterstand van behuising uit te wis. In 2019, tussen Despatch en Port Elizabeth, word grond onwettig beset. Die munisipaliteit doen niks daaromtrent nie. Hulle laat dit maar net voortgaan. Die polisie doen nog minder. Die antwoord is dat hulle gaan ... [Tussenwerpsels.] ... Dankie. In elk geval, hulle gaan daar plak.
Die VF Plus besef dat daar ’n groot probleem is. Regoor die land konsulteer ek mense want ek was vir 35 jaar in die eiendomsbedryf en ek is bewus dat daar duisende hektaar grond om die metros van Suid-Afrika beskikbaar is. Ek het namens die VF Plus die Minister versoek om ’n opname te maak. Drie maande
later kondig sy aan dat daar 14 000 hektaar grond om die metros beskikbaar is, maar om dit tot residensiël te hersoneer of ontkoppel soos hulle sê neem tussen vyf en sewe jaar sê die prokureurs.
Ek vil vandag vir die departement baie, baie dankie sê. Julle het dinge reggekry wat ek gedink het ... nooit so vinnig nie. Binne vier jaar is die probleem opgelos. Die VF Plus is trots. Hoekom sê ek is ons trots? Want nou kan mense nie sommer net enige plek gaan plak nie. Die staatsbeplanners kan vooruit beplan.
Ek is bly die Minister het na die Oos-Kaap verwys. Ek was verlede week ... [Onhoorbaar.] ... dit is Bethelsdorp waar hulle met ’n bouprojek besig is. Daar is nie kommunikasie tussen die nasionale en provinsiale regering en die munisipaliteite nie. Vir sewe jaar was die munisipaliteite in die Nelson Mandela Metro van ontwikkeling ontneem. In daardie sewe jaar het daar omtrent niks gebeur nie. As ek korrek is, is daar maar iets soos 800 huise in die afgelope jaar gebou. Ek wil vir u sê dat daar agt kontrakteurs is wat met die projek besig is. ’n Totaal van 83 huise sal binne die maand of twee klaar wees. Maar ’n belangrike ding ... daar is agt
kontrakteurs. Ons moet kyk dat kontrakteurs goed gekeur word. Waarom sê ek so? Te veel projekte het skade gelei omdat die regte kontrakteurs nooit aangestel is nie. Baie keer moes dit herfinansier word. Ons mag dit nie in Suid-Afrika toelaat nie.
’n Belangrike ding wat ons moet onthou is dat die bruin en swart mense in hierdie land beskik oor vakmanskap wanneer dit by die boubedryf kom. Ons moet die gemeenskap meer betrokke maak. Terwyl ek op die terrein is, toe praat ek met vroumense en u wat nie weet nie, die grootte van ’n huis is tans
41 vierkante meter wat ’n bietjie groter as ’n dubbelmotorhuis is. Toe sê van die mense dat wat hulle graag sou wil hê is ’n groter huis. Dan kan hulle op ’n later stadium die binnemure voltooi. Hulle sal bly wees as die badkamer en een slaapkamer voltooi word. Dit kan gebeur maar ’n belangrike ding is ook dat hulle dan fondse moet bekom en om dit te bekom moet daar titelaktes uitgereik word, want die oomblik as jy ’n titelakte in jou besit het, dan het jy toegang tot ’n finansiële instelling. Dit maak mense trots. Ek ry baie keer in die swart gebiede rond. Dan hou ek by mense stil en vra, hoe is julle besig om nou verbeterings aan te bring? Dan is dit oor finansiering van die privaatsektor.
Ons in Suid-Afrika word baie mismoedig maar ek gaan vir u een ding sê. As ek vandag in ’n plakkershut moet bly, sal ek geen moed vir die toekoms hê nie. Ek sal geen moed hê nie.
KwaNobuhle ... en ek noem ... Ons het nou tydens ons vervoer oorsigbesoek in Khayelitsha onder andere ... Dit het die dag gereën. My hart het gebloei toe ek na die omstandighede van daardie mense kyk. Ons in Suid-Afrika sal iets positief moet doen. Ek dink ek het die antwoord maar ek weet ek het nie vandag die tyd om dit te sê nie. Maar dit is nie nodig dat mense in flenters sinkplate moet bly nie. Ons kan ander oplossings vind.
Ek wil afsluit. ’n Huis maak jou trots. ’n Huis gee jou moed en dit is wonderlik vir enige kind om in die middag terug na ’n huis te keer om in te woon. Ons moet alles in ons vermoë doen om hierdie agterstand uit te wis. Ek dank u.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Good afternoon,
Minister Kubayi. Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, hon Semenya, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, MECs of Human Settlements, hon Members of Parliament, acting director- general, deputy director-generals and senior officials, chairpersons and chief executive officers of our entities,
ladies and gentlemen who are streaming on line from the City of Cape Town Council Chambers, all viewers who have joined us online, I greet you all this afternoon.
House Chairperson, it is exciting that after being in strict lockdown or with limited movements we are congregating physically here in Parliament to table our Budget Vote speeches as we used to do in the past.
In the last financial year, as the Department of Human Settlements, we observed the will and impact on the implementation of the District Development Model where three spheres of government are beginning to appreciate the importance of working as a collective. As a result, we can mention two areas of significance, Harry Gwala and Central Karoo District Municipalities where we demonstrated successfully how the three spheres of government can implement programme together.
In our quest to accelerate services delivery in the community of kromhoek under Harry Gwala District, we invited Deputy Ministers and other political principals from provinces and municipalities to a service delivery programme. On that day,
nine Deputy Ministers attended the engagement. I would like to thanks the Deputy Ministers for their continued support. All the departments through their respective Deputy Ministers made specific commitments relating to several service delivery issues. For example, the Department of Human Settlements committed to building 84 Breaking New Ground, BNG, houses for destitute families that were identified by the community. [Applause.]
To demonstrate these commitments, we are not rhetoric. To date through Provincial Department of Human Settlements in KwaZulu- Natal these houses are in different phases of construction. We have been assured that in August this year all these houses will be completed and handed over to the rightful owners.
To confirm our commitment to women’s empowerment let me proudly announce that these houses are built by a woman contractor. [Applause.]
IsiXhosa:
Malibongwe! Enkosi.
English:
It comes with great pleasure and honour for me to inform the House that in the next few days together with the sister Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment we will realise to sign off ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, giving effect of the implementation of Human Settlements Public Greening Programme. The MoU will be valid for three years with possibility of an extension. The programme is intended to provide one indigenous tree and one food tree to each home during housing handover programmes.
IsiXhosa:
Ukwenzela ukuba abantu abadala babenomthunzi wokuphumla.
English:
So, we are integrating these two departments. When we hand over houses, we will be planting trees at the same time.
House Chairperson, I was privileged last week on Thursday to accompany Minister Kubayi to an Imbizo in Soweto. During our engagement with the communities, we urged them to understand our community and commitment to prioritise destitute cases, which include the elderly, persons with disabilities and child-headed households. What was more interesting was that
this commitment was appreciated and supported by all members of the community.
As we are about to conclude the Medium Term Strategy Framework period 2019-24 the department has provided over 2 000 military veterans without paid housing throughout nine provinces.
IsiXhosa:
ISebe lezokuHlaliswa koLuntu likwiphulo lokuqinisekisa ukuba onke amagqala omkhosi akhelwe izindlu zawo, kodwa ke sisenazo iingxai. Masikhumbuze amaphondo asacothayo ukuba azakhe ngokuqinisekileyo nangokukhawuleza ezi zidlu. Amaphondo mawakhumbule ukuba la maqhawe ngawo awashiya uMzantsi Afrika esilwela inkululeko nenguqu eMzantsi Afrika. Namhlanje sifuna ukuwaxelela la maqhawe angamagqala omkhosi ukuba siza kuthi gqolo siwakhumbuza amaphondo, ekuqinisekiseni ukuba onke amaqhawe alwayo nangamagqala omkhosi ayazifumana izindlu ngokukhawuleza.
English:
To fast-track the delivery of houses of military veterans in February this year, we convened a meeting between National and Provincial Department of Human Settlements. Bufalo City
Metropolitan Municipality and representatives of the military veterans’ structures as a collective we agreed that we are going to follow up meetings, which will include the Department of Military Veterans and the Office of the Eastern Cape Premier with the intention to unlock challenges raised. We continue to engage with the Department of Military Veterans to prioritise and fast track the beneficiary verification process so that we together continue to address the plight of our military veterans. President of the country, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2023 state of the nation address continued to put emphasis on the 40% set aside for women-owned businesses.
IsiXhosa:
Kwakhona, sithi gqolo uku ... [Ngokungavakaliyo.]
English:
It is encouraging that during financial provinces have already headed the call and have performed extremely well in this respect. This include, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo.
I must add, hon Chairperson, that we do have provinces and metropolitan municipalities that are still struggling to meet its target. We are hopeful that with our continued support and guidance they will improve this current financial year.
The department is committed in completing a sector wider approach to central transformation. This approach is implemented, monitored and reported in collaboration with the provinces, municipalities and our entities. We are working together to do all these.
Our sector transformation programmes are focusses on five areas: Procurement spend, training opportunities for youth and persons with disabilities, job creation, allocation of housing opportunities and transformation of spaces.
Hon members, we will not stop advocating for women’s inclusion in this male dominated industry. [Applause.] In August this year the Department of Human Settlements is planning to host a woman in construction indaba. It’s going to happen here, you will see it. It is aiming to outline opportunities available in the sector. We do have many opportunities for women in this
sector. This will include national and provincial departments, municipalities and our entities.
In the past three years, had been the most difficult for our country and the world at large. When we thought life was getting better to normal the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng were severely affected by realities of climate change.
On 24 May last year, we visited Deelpan Village in North West where community experienced severe flooding due to heavy rainfall. The national department allocated funds for provinces to respond to disasters. That’s what we do immediately when there is a disaster. We make sure that we allocate funds so that we don’t waste time so that our people cannot be outside and be in the shelter. Is either in the shelter or permanent house.
We have challenges of land I must say. In Delport with these disasters, it is important to work closely with the traditional leaders so that they can assist us because we want to be assisted by the traditional leaders. So, we want to work
together with them. Towards the end of March this year we visited ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr B N HERRON: House Chair, South Africa may have the largest housing delivery programme in the world as we acknowledge in our Human Settlements Committee report that as we have said in both the committee and the National Assembly before a free house is not necessarily an affordable house especially with inequality and the human settlements patterns that remains equitable and dysfunctional across South Africa as we also acknowledge in the report is a product of the manner in which we delivered this largest housing programme in the world.
Dysfunctional human settlements are evidence in nearly in every single Breaking New Ground, BMG, housing project across the country. This dysfunctional arises from a number of factors that combined to create suburbs of poverty, which reinforce the spatial inequality and relegate beneficiaries of this free basic housing to continued socioeconomic exclusion and physical isolation. These factors include, firstly, the development of large scale housing projects of hundreds or sometimes thousands of houses particularly BNG homes. This
creates new settlements equivalent in scale to a suburb where every resident or every household is indigent.
House Chair, we will build functional human settlements and begin to reduce spatial inequality if we integrated smaller scale BNG housing in establish neighbourhood in our towns and cities.
Secondly, the location of this human settlement development, which have perpetuated exclusion and isolation. For as long as provinces, cities and towns allocate or acquire green field land on the outskirts of towns and cities for the purpose of housing development we entrench the apartheid spiral logic and undermines special transformation.
House Chair, where people live really does matter. We were only address spatial inequalities when we deliberately pursue human settlements that are physical integrated into the well- established properly developed and we were already service neighbourhood in our towns and cities.
The identification of priority development areas as a strategy to resolves special transformation will not succeed where
these areas do not integrate various public housing typologies into well-located areas.
We welcome the decision to increase the subsidy quantum so that the quality of free basic housing BNG prove improve. We will also welcome the commitment in installing solar panels and water tanks so that our development now includes, pipe running water and more affordable to living.
However, if we are to achieve the intention of section 26 of the Constitution, we need to overhaul the individual subsidy system in particular the households’ thresholds. A more reasonable subsidy regime will go a long way towards making our large public housing programme fair and meaningful and perhaps we will achieve illusive state of justice. We thank you and we support the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Setswana:
Ntate M A TSEKI: Teduputswa! Pula!
MALOKO A TLOTLEGANG: A ene!
English:
Greetings to the Chair, greetings to hon MaKhawula,[Laughter.]
... and greetings to all members. On behalf of the glorious movement, I stand to support the Budget Vote with a very important quote ... [Inaudible.] In 1994 today, a new dawn was born. A political breakthrough of the people was born. The first democratically elected President was born. I repeat, a first democratically elected president was born. Our constitutionally democracy has brought about an era of justice and dignity. On that day we declared that 6 April 1652 shall be history.
The democratic ANC government has put in place programmes in which we response to live reality of many south Africans. As a country, we implement one of the largest programme in the continent. Inequality due to colonialization and apartheid has resulted in many South Africans not affording adequate housing, because they are poor – they are unemployed. Indeed, Minister, there are good stories to tell. The housing backlog of South Africa is due to 1913. Minority government has become a moving target. This is largely influenced by the spatial economic concentration in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu- Natal.
The spatial economic concentration results in high levels of migration within the country as people residing in provinces of less economic activities such as Limpopo, Eastern Cape, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape moved to the three provinces for economic opportunities. Depending on the work or economic opportunities on those who have job hunting in the cities, they either move to informal settlement or a side in congested areas without sufficient basic services or families because of 1652 - because of 1885 - because of 1913.
It is for this reason that the department has built alternative housing programme of rental and housing subsidies. With the current global economic, migration is getting pronounced and we should continue to plan human settlement of the future. In the Medium Term Budget, the department will deliver 180 fully subsidised house and issue 388 and 104 000 title deeds to beneficiaries from low income houses. These activities are within the Integrated Human Settlement Planning and Development Programme with its allocation of
R73,5 billion, for this money is to transform the living conditions and restore dignity to an African women and men who were robbed of their land through the barrel of a gun.
The ANC has always placed the empowerment of the poor and the marginalised as the key beneficiaries of socio-economic transformations. Since 1994, we have built houses for the poor and vulnerable. We have developed low cost houses for the middle strata or what is termed the missing middle. Globally cities in developing countries has experienced challenges of informal settlement. The central challenges affecting informal settlement dwellers is security of tenure and access to basic services, and they face risk of crime and other challenges which require comprehensive approach.
The department’s upgrading of informal settlement programme is a critical problem to respond to the plight and conditions of the people living in informal settlements. The department will upgrade a targeted 900 informal settlements to phase 3 across the country. When we say phase 3, member Mey, we mean inhabitable - where they can stay -even if it’s an informal settlement. At provincial and municipalities spending through an informal settlement upgrade partnership grant is expected to an amount of R27,2 billion over the medium term. These are lip service for the conditions of the vulnerable and the intervention is from the ANC Cabinet.
Linked to the human settle challenge is access to land and for housing, the legacy of dispossession and private property has resulted to lack of access to land in the urban areas because of those who found us friendly and abused our friendship. A further R120 million over a period ahead of expected to ensure that provinces and municipalities deliver 60 000 service sites per year through the National Upgrading Support Programme. We believe that this is an important programme to increase access to land with access to basic services for residents.
Hon Minister, this is a programme we have significantly increased from previous financial year. We believe this programme can further be expanded to impact hundreds of thousands of households to benefit workers, to benefit the youth, women and people with disabilities. We need conceptualisation of Human Settlement Development Programmes for Social Cohesion Nation Building through creating communities with persons from all races and classes next to economic zones.
We need to utilize the constitutional and legislative framework to transform our society as an imperative in addressing injustice of the past through expropriating land
from human settlement in the public domain. There is a song Mme Merriam Makebe once sang. It says:
IsiXhosa:
Nindibona ndilinxila nje kungenxa yamabhulu. Nindibona ndizula nje kungenxa yabelungu.
Nindibona ndingenakhaya nje kungenxa yabelungu. Baleka bhulu ... [Ecula.]
Sizobuya thina, sizongena. Sizongen’ekhaya.
English:
These are reflections of the history of South Africa. [Applause.] [Interjections.] State capabilities are another critical element important to the implementation of policies and ANC manifesto commitments. We need to continue to strengthen the technical capacity of various infrastructure units in provinces and municipalities. The inability to spend funds should be the problem of the past as we march successfully to social transformation of our society.
Therefore, the national department should also develop capacity to employ and solve problems in various provinces in
the face of planning and project preparation process, financing and project management. This will be critical to ensure funds transferred, realised their impact within the intended period. Our decisive and decentralizing in consolidating our democratic gains from threats of derailment by forces who do not seek to transform the lives of our people, but to preserve their economic domination as is been the case in the last 30 years of our democracy. Some even run to United Nations, to the western countries with false pretence that we are robbing them of their land.
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Thank you, hon member. Your time has expired.
Setswana:
Ao banna! Ke pele yaana. [Legofi.]
Mr A M SHAIK EMAM: I did not know that parliamentarians also knew how to sing. [Laughter.] Let me start off by saying the NFP will support this Budget Vote tabled here today. [Applause.] Chairperson, having said that, I think we must understand that we have an annual population increase of over
1 million in this country, which simply means the demand is
going to rise. More people are becoming homeless because of the economic opportunities, socio economic conditions and the high unemployment rate.
One of the problems we have is that we do not have the capacity to produce houses to provide to everybody, and we must admit that. That is why the NFP have suggested that, wherever whichever party governs and there is land available, identify the people in that community, even if it’s single parent families, do not worry about the services you must provide them but divide that land and give it to them to give them their dignity and identity.
In the high unequal society that we live in and to address the inequalities of the past, at least you will be giving them back their dignity.
And then annually, where you can produce 500 or a 1 000 homes where you can give water and sanitation, do that. At least you would have given them something for now that they can call home. And I promise you Minister, these people will build these houses themselves.
If you look at what happened in Palm View in Phoienix, all that you gave them was the land and material and today those houses sell for about R1,5 million. That is what they have done. So, it means it can be done.
One of the problems that you got to deal with regarding the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, houses which must be addressed is that these houses are being issued by government. Why? Because these are indigent people and they cannot afford to buy houses. Chairperson, it’s not acceptable that after five years, they are selling these houses for
R10 000, R15 000 and R20 000 and going back to the shacks. We cannot do that. I think that is one of the issues that you are going to have to deal with.
The housing waiting list in the City of Cape Town is about
500 000, Durban is also about 500 000. You are not going to meet that demand. I think we need to change that and perhaps, a low interest rate so that people can subsidise or fund, not necessarily funded but guaranteed by government and I think even outside investors will come in and build houses for those people at a lower interest rate that they can afford. I think that might be one of our solutions if we want to do that. And
very importantly, we need to do these things in the rural areas so that people don’t migrate from there.
Lastly, some of the people that are getting houses in the rural areas are coming into the urban areas. So, now you have to provide a home for them there and have to provide a home for them here. It is becoming a problem. [Time expired.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Hon members, there is something that looks like an iPad right there next to the microphone and it has a timer. There is no need for the presiding officer to indicate that your time is up if you look at that timer. Thank you very much.
Dr N V KHUMALO: Everything that we do is governed by principles and values that we subscribe to including the budget process. The budgeting process is governed by principles including transparency, accountability, participation, equity, non-discrimination and equality.
The Human Settlement Budget may have followed some but certainly not all the principles. The reality is that the budget process is not limited to the point of allocating funds
for certain functions but includes accountability which year in and year out seems to not be a priority and as a result, the citizens of this country have to foot the bill for the lack of accountability.
There are millions of South Africans waiting for houses for which money has been stolen. I’ll make an example of the many examples across the country. Hundreds of millions were spent on a housing project in the Eastern Cape, Amathole District Municipality, Extension 10, which was aimed at delivering
1 140 RDP houses which are now known as Breaking New Ground, BNG, for farm dwellers.
Instead of houses being built, 1 317 funny excuses for toilets were delivered, 76 of which were built on the flood line and now need to be demolished. All those millions and no houses but toilets and for enrichment for top dogs.
The investigations implicating the Minister’s wife and son on this project continues to be with the Special Investigating Unit, SIU, and of course in the absence of answers and accountability, and this, for over ten years.
Chairperson, this department is marred with corruption, maladministration and unprofessionalism. And that, is a fact. This department is nothing but a messy crime scene. The department’s Annual Performance Plans, APPS, for the upcoming financial year visualised one would certainly picture paradise where all citizens are looked after, respected, afforded dignity and their right to decent good quality shelter by a caring and accountable government.
Chairperson instead, the opposite is the reality of many South African citizens who still wait for shelter. The many that have received houses from this government, very little care has been taken to ensure that the house are in good condition, safe to reside in and are suitable for their specific needs.
Chairperson, the plan certainly looks good on paper, much like the many policies of this administration that are perfectly admired across the world, yet, the implementation lives very little to desire and admire.
The department and its entities are cruising in an island so far from the realities of many South Africans. There are a lot
of monitoring and evaluation reports written every year and very little changes to benefit citizens.
This government has been comfortable to simply tick boxes all around and have people live in houses that are literally falling apart as early as three months after handing them over. As per the norm, no consequences whatsoever.
Department employees and staff continue uninterrupted. Perhaps the most welcomed filling of vacancies in the department and its entities will result in some positive changes in the lives of South Africans. While one cannot lie that, many provinces with the Eastern Cape topping the charts of failure are simply not performing.
There are people still awaiting relief for disasters that happened for as far back as 2017. It is clear that the failures of areas such as emergency relief are as a result of poor leadership and the absence of a will to act and deal with corruption.
In the upcoming financial year, provinces will no longer have emergency funding grant, for failure the department could have
nibbed in the butt. It is worrying that the practical plans of dealing with the victims of disasters have not yet been well thought out, particularly the temporary accommodation during the seven-day period in which the much welcomed alternative technology buildings are implemented.
We hope that this innovation from the department will not be another opportunity for a looting spree where victims of disasters are in need of support because it will be business under the very same people who have failed to step up to the task to serve vulnerable citizens.
While unblocking projects is a good plan, it must be noted that there are over 600 blocked projects with only half to be unblocked and noting the urgency in which businesses are conducted in this department, it is clear that not all blocked projects will be unblocked and completed in one more financial year.
We should be concerned that the targets and plans are increasing and the capacity is not. We should be concerned that the foreman application of land development, human settlements, informal settlement upgrades do not often respond
directly to government’s commitment around special intent around transformation. But on paper, it all looks rosy.
We should all be concerned about the one million title deed backlog and the challenges associated with issuing title deeds and also worrying is that only 7% were issued in our entire financial year.
We should all be concerned about the poor performance of informal settlement upgrades. We should worry that despite the minimal budget increases annually, that the agenda of delivering decent and quality shelter to those in need does not increase.
I will say it again; South Africans deserve better. South Africans will use this power through the ballot to boot the non-caring ANC out and welcome a caring government that will conduct business under the principles of fairness,
Mr C N MALEMATJA: Thank you, Chairperson, Ministers, colleagues, normally, a hired gun has got this tendency of shooting randomly without considering the safety of the target because sometimes if you have to deal with the legacy of
apartheid, you must consider who are you using. The DA is utilising those who are with us to protect its legacy.
Therefore, when they speak, they speak without considering that they belong here. Therefore, they too they do not have what we are trying with these efforts to ensure that we improve the life and the living conditions of our masses. We, therefore, unlike them ...
We grew up, even if you are in a romantic room the only song you would sing is homeless, homeless. Unlike them because they were in very decent houses out of our own monies. They thought they are smart - shame. Here comrade Minister, where I am, South African workers are unemployed. For them to preserve and get this adequate building sustainability life use and protect their well-being. We do our best to try by all means to ensure that the workers are brought next to the economic activities, only in this city our people are driven far, those who do not want ...
IsiZulu:
... abomakhelwane babantu abamnyama.
English:
There are those in the city, and we are saying that is going to come to an end because we started. Just across the SABC building we have taken it. We will house those who were previously disadvantaged to be closer to the economic activities and those who do not want to have ...
IsiZulu
... abomakhelwane njengawe mama uKhawula no Malematja ...
English:
...the ocean is not far, they must pack and go. As the government, we recognise that accommodation is not a need for permanent. We further understand that there are those who are coming from various locations where it is necessary in terms of economic activities. Therefore, the need for them to get a rental accommodation is in high demand. That is why we are proud to announce that with the rental housing demand, we are able to take care of their needs. It is not to say we keep quiet. We are waiting for everything for permanent. We also provided that. This never happened during the apartheid regime. Minister, if there is anything in a milestone that we have set, as this department is to give out the house with burglar bars. There is no any other regime that ever gave a
house with burglar bars. It never happened. There is no house for the years that the National Party and the DA led has ever produced a house with water tank. It never happened. It never happened in our lifetime that you will have a house with a solar panel that never happened. We are doing all this because we want to improve the life and ensure that it is an adequate house that the black people deserve accordingly.
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): May I make an appeal on both sides that be mindful not to drown the speaker. You can heckle, it is okay but do not drown the speaker.
Mr C N MALEMATJA: The department plans to build 10 800 rental housing units dispatched to 12 000 Finance link individual subsidy over the next three years. Whoever comes here and say there are no target set that particular person is hired, is hiding the good news that we are trying to give. We will never operate and work in the department without setting the target date, that will never happen.
A central tenant of the economic and reconstruction plan is infrastructure development and infrastructure maintenance. Through human settlement development various inputs and
construction works are required. This be used to empower women, youth and people with disability something that was not happening in the apartheid regime. A woman was meant to sit in the kitchen unlike now, the woman is a Minister who is able to ensure that through the creation of much needed jobs, through appointing them to be service provider the construction sector remains largely concentrated in particular in relation to the large-scale development.
Sepedi:
Batho ba bomme le bao ba se nago le bokgoni ba hwetia letseno le, ebile ba a tiweletia.
English:
Transformation, hon Minister, requires a concerted effort for local economic development through ensuring that inputs such as bricks and other construction input get manufactured locally and through small businesses and co-operatives. This is the positive economic spin-off of infrastructure development. DJ wake up. We are continuously staying off, now we have travelled the whole country ensuring that there is an adoption of Housing Consumer Bill, which we intend to improve the structure and ensure that no shoddy work that has been
adopted and agreed to by the masses of South Africa. Ours is to ensure that no longer shoddy work, no longer unqualified contractors can get work and build. We are saying comrade Minister, this is long overdue and this has to be implemented now and ensure that we move on.
Hon Chairperson, we must also note with concern the opportunism which is advanced by the human being elements who distract infrastructure projects because they seek business opportunity without following procurement processes.
We should also work with law enforcement agency to combat extortion which also has a negative impact on the successful implementation of quality housing projects, as gangster demands funds in projects for no work. Here in Cape Town, comrade Chairperson, we know the corrupt relationship of the DA and gangster in Cape Town. We are aware of the suspension of the MMC in the City Cape Town for aiding gangster and criminal elements in our social housing development project.
Comrade, if you talk corruption, the corruption is here. There is no other city that has corruption than this one. Their own project managers are managers who are from international
countries. As we speak, they are from Zimbabwe. As we speak, they are from other countries. Now it has been exposed when they expel their own MMC, it is because he did not want to co- operate. The fact of the matter was about to loot and cheat and ensure that our people are driven as far as Langa, Nyanga and to ensure that there is no development there. Thank you so much, hon Chairperson. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: House Chairperson ...
Sepedi:
... e re ke thome ka go araba sesi Rosina, mohl Semenya. Re be re le Soweto beke yeo e fetilego ka Laboraro, re na le baagi ba Soweto ba re botia ka boradia bjoo bo lego gona ka gare ga projeke ya Lufhereng. Re ile ra ba tshephiia gore re tla ya moo. Ke boletie le leloko la lekgotlaphethiii, Mazibuko. Re boletie gore re tla tsena le ka go diGreen Mamba tia Tona Panyaza Lesufi. Re ile ra itiweletia ka gare ga projeke ya Lufhereng gore re kgonthiiiie gore projeke yeo ga e tiewe ke batho bao ba sa swanelago.
Gape, e re ke bolele gore le ile la ya le le Komiti ya Bodulo bja Batho kua Garden Route, moo le ilego la kwa maiiiiapelo ka
gare ga setihaba sa rena.Ke tshephiiitie gore ke tla be ke le gona kua ka di18 tia Mei beke yeo e tlago go bolela le setihaba sa Garden Route le go ya go bona maiiiiapelo ao ba lego ka gare ga ona gore re kgone go ba thuia re le mmuio. Ba bangwe ba bolela gore rena re le mmuio wa ANC ga re na taba. Rena re mmuio wa go tshwenyega, re tsena le moo e lego gore bona ga ba tsene – le ka gare ga diprofense tieo ba di eteletiego pele.
IsiZulu:
Lungu elihloniphekile Mphithi ngithanda ukukuxoxela ukuthi okokuqala uma sibheka kule nombolo oyikhulumile yezigidi eziyi-R13 ayikho kweZokuhlaliswa Kwabantu. Uma sesibheka kuregista yezidingo sibheka laba ababhalisile ukuthi badinga
izindlu, azikho izigidi eziyi-13. Sinezigidi ezi 2,5 yemindeni edinga ukuthi isizwe. Engithanda ukukusho ukuthi la sibhekile uma ukhuluma nge-IPP, bengicabanga ukuthi usujwayele ukuba kwikomidi njengoba ikomidi liye labheka uhlelo lwamabhizinisi lwezifundazwe zonke lathola ukuthi zonke lezi zinto zibalulekile zikhona zonke lapho. Yingakho ubona ngikwazi ukuthi kwinkulumo yami ngikhulume ngesabelomali sezindlu zodaka neze-Asbetos ngoba awukwazi ukukhuluma ngezinombolo ezingekho phakathi kwezinhlelo. Anginaso isiqiniseko sokuthi
sibheke luphi uhlelo mina nawe ngoba angeke ngikhulume ngezinombolo ezingekho kusabelomali bese ngisho ukuthi zikhona kuzitatimende zezimali zingekho ezinhlelweni. Ngicela ubuyele uyobheka.
La ngivumela khona nawe ukuthi kufuneka sibheke ukuthi sikhuphule izinga lokusebenza kweHBRC. Sivumelene nasekomidini ukuthi sizokubheka lokho. Ngizobuye ngikhulume kakhulu ngenkohlakalo nokukhwabanisa. Lapho sisebenza khona noma yikuphi sizobhekana nayo siqinisekise ukuthi abantu bayajeziswa ngokwenza inkohlakalo nokukhwabanisa.
Ngizothi uma ngiphendula ilungu elihloniphekile uKhumalo ngimbonise ukuthi yikuphi lapho sekukhona abantu esebexoshiwe. Obani asebeboshiwe ndawo zonke ngizokunikeza izibonele uma sengifika lapho. Mangiye kulungu elihloniphekile uMakesini.
Sesotho:
Mohlomphehi Makeseni ngwaneso, baahi ba mapolasing re ya ba hlokomela. Re ile ra fana ka mangolo a tumello ya matlo a 93 Willow Dale mane KwaZulu Natal. Empa moo re sebeditse haholo dipolasi. Jwale, ha se dipolasi kaofela tseo eleng hore o tla
di fihlela hore ha di sebedisane le rona. Ha re ba tlohele ba iketsetse, re sebetsa le bona.
Rapolasi enwa ka hare ho KwaZulu Natal, o re file lefatshe, ra tloha ra ilo aha mme ra fa basebetsi ba dipolasing. Ke yona mehlala e memng eo re nang le yona hore re kgone hore re thuse setjhaba sa rona.
Ke dumellana le wena ka tse ngata tseo o di buang ka hore ntho ya tjhelete e kenang ke mathata. Re tshepisitse hore re tlo e labella hobane ba re bolelletse hore kgale re sa nyolle tjhelete e kenang ka hore re dutse hore R3 500. Kgale e le hore motho ya kgolang R5 000 ha a kgone hore a ka reka ntlo ka bonto. Jwale, re tshwanetse re e shebisise re eketse.
Empa seo eleng hore ke mathata hona jwale ke hore ha re eketsa lenaneo leo, tjhelete eo re e fumanang ho tswa tekanyetsong ya kabo e ba nyane haholo. Ka hoo, re shebile hore re nne re etse tekano ha re ntse re fetola leano la rona ho ya pele.
Ke dumellana le wena hore phetoho eo re nang le yona ya batho ba nang le boqwhala ke ka lebaka la tletlebo eo ke e fumaneng ho tswa Ward 52, eThekweni. E ne ele setjhaba sa batho ba nang
le boqhwala bao re ileng ra ya ra lo ba fa matlo. Ha re qeta ho tsamaya, ka hore ha ba bone, batho ba ile b aba kenela.
Ke ka moo re ileng ra fetola leano la rona hore re tlo etsa hore batho ba nang le boqhwala re ba kenyetse dibatlelara, hore ba kgone hore ba tshireletsehe. Re sentse re arabela mme le sona setjhabe seo, re ya ho sona.
English:
Hon Hlengwa, on the informal settlements I do agree with you. We have to ensure that informal settlements across the country are provided services. Part of the responsibility I have as the Minister, while we give grants to provinces, for example, we allocate grants to provincial government for informal settlements upgrading and we allocate grants to metros for informal settlement upgrading. Part of the challenge sometimes we have is that when we identify a community and we say that these are the communities that do not have basic services and then we are told it is not our priority.
This week on Friday, I will be here in the Western Cape. We are going to informal settlements which are 19. They came and they protested, we took their memorandum, we had to intervene.
The City of Cape Town when we told them to reprioritise and give these people basic services because these are human rights services such as toilets and water, they refused. I had to reprioritise money to allocate to those communities and forced the City of Cape Town to say those people deserve dignity. I will be there to give them that feedback. So, I agree with you.
Hon Mey, you have raised quite a number of issues I battled with it because of translation but I could hear some of the areas where I agree with you in terms of the turnaround time in municipalities around planning, is what we have to work with them. To improve in terms of planning so that when we develop a land it doesn’t take forever to get that land to a place where we have services. However, what we have done as the department we have changed the Human Settlements Development Grant, HSDG, to make it to have 30% but where they are able to improve on the services they can take that 30% and put on bulk. That we believe it will fast track in terms of needs of building and it will assist in communities. So, this will go a long way. I’ve been to many communities where we have difficulties of projects we go in an intervene or we send technical teams to go and assist us. This is the work that
will continue. We are monitoring in terms of projects. We will improve on that one.
Hon Herron, I do agree with you the challenges in terms of dealing with apartheid landscape and part of the problem I think all of us as members and political parties you must speak out against the “Not in our neighbourhood communities” This community ... [Inaudible.] ... continue to say, if you want to build a Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, you want to build an inclusive community they say, not in our neighbourhood. They are not assisting you in anyway because there are people who deliberately go to court, they fight, they mobilise, they threaten everything to say we will not allow for you to build social housing here. We will not allow for you to build RDP houses here. That is part of continuing to perpetuate the apartheid landscape.
So, all of us as parties ... I think it will help me as the Minister if all parties take a stance and say, if we are to redress this apartheid landscape we have to be able to speak out and say that those who are saying “not in my neighbourhood” must I isolate them in our communities and deal with them because it is not assisting anyone. Hon Shaik Emam,
I agree with you largely with what you say in terms of provision of service sites but what we are not allowed to do by law is to do an evaluation of land quickly and do services. So, we must determine in terms of whether it’s suitable for human settlements. However, also there are services which are called human rights. So, you can’t put people without putting water and sanitation.
Much as we would want to do that, it’s not allowed in terms of that. We still have to provide those basic human rights services. Hon Khumalo, Amathole Extension I’ve been there.
That project was blocked and I have unblocked it. As we speak it’s about to be completed. I thought you would acknowledge that because as the committee - even when I was there in the portfolio committee - members of the portfolio committee acknowledged that progress.
Two, you are saying the department is a crime scene, I don’t agree with you. We are not a crime scene and we are not criminals. I am not a criminal and I am not corrupt. I can stand here because part of the generic issues or problems that we have in society is to generalise. Let me make an example, I welcome the accountability and consequence management in the
City of Cape Town. The arrest of officials who were involved in corrupt activities, I welcomed them. I welcome the arrest and dismissal of an official in Johannesburg within the Human Settlements space. I welcome the two court cases that are in the Free State on Human Settlements and will continue where possible open cases ourselves for those who steal against poor people.
I always saying that corruption is not a victimless crime. It’s got victim these are our mothers, these are widows and these are child-headed households. I always say across parties that I do not play political games when it comes to this portfolio because I understand its responsibility and its obligation. Where there’s criminal activities we will be the first to take action and I can assure you we will never even fear. That is why across I was supportive to the mayor in the city to say that I will support you with the action that you are taking because it dents on the work that you are doing as Human Settlements irrespective of party. We must stand and say no to corruption in Human Settlement. We are not a crime scene. Thank you. [Applause.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Hon members, that concludes the debate and the business of the mini-plenary. The mini- plenary shall now rise.
Debate concluded.
The mini-plenary rose at 16:58.
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