Questions & Replies: Human Settlements

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2011-03-11

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QUESTION 3843
Mr D J Stubbe (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. Whether he will reply to (a) all outstanding parliamentary questions and (b) the points contained in each question before parliamentary questions lapse in accordance with Rule 316 of the National Assembly; if not, in each specified case, (i) why not and (ii) which questions, by its allocated number, will not be replied to; if so, what are the relevant details in each case;

2. Whether it is the policy of his Ministry that he submits to the mechanism of parliamentary questions as a measure of constitutional accountability to the National Assembly; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1. The Minister answers all questions tabled before him on time and strictly respects Parliamentary rules in respect of answers to questions which are tabled before him timeously.

2. The department and Ministry adhere to the principles and sentiments as contained in the question in respect of the National Assembly and adherence to the Constitution.

QUESTION 3832
Mr P van Dalen (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether any other persons have driven (a) his and (b) his Deputy Minister's official blue light fitted vehicles; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, in respect of the (i) 2009-1 0 and (ii) 2010-1 1 financial years, (aa) what is each specified person's (aaa) name and (bbb) designation, (bb) which vehicle and (cc) why?

REPLY

The Minister does not have a government official vehicle and also does not have a police blue light. Therefore the question is not applicable.

The Deputy Minister's official vehicles are not fitted with police blue light.

QUESTION NO: 3702

Dr C P Mulder(FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Human

Settlements:

Whether he / and /or his department have (a) entered into

an agreement with, (b) signed a contract with and/or (c)

received services from Fever Tree Consulting since

2006; if so, what was the (i) nature of the (aa)

agreements,(bb) contracts and/or(cc) services and (ii)

cost in each case?

REPLY

It is suggested that the Minister responds to the question

in the following manner below:

The National Department of Human Settlements did not

enter into agreements with, signed contracts with and/or

received services from Fever Tree Consulting since 2006

to date.

QUESTION NO 3697

Mr R.B. Bhoola (MF) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"With reference to the high degree of poor workmanship in the

various upgrades of flats before the Government's housing

stock is transferred to beneficiaries, what provisions does he

intend to put in place to circumvent the shoddy workmanship

(details furnished)?

REPLY

The Department has two programmes which in terms of policy

intent and implementation guidelines address the issues of

poor workmanship in the rectification and upgrading of

government housing stock before they are transferred to

individuals for ownership, namely the Enhanced Extended

Discount Benefit Scheme and the Rectification of Pre - 1994

Residential Properties Programme. Whilst the former

addresses the quality of work of public stock before transfer of

properties to individuals, the latter provides for funding for

rectification of stock or the complete reconstruction of

dwellings that are severely structurally compromised.

The Community Residential Units Programme deals with the

upgrading of public housing stock which cannot be transferred

to individual ownership and has to be managed as rental

accommodation by the public owner.

Provinces and municipalities are responsible for the

implementation of these programmes and are obliged to

ensure the appointment of suitably qualified contractors to

effect rectification and/or upgrading of residential properties.

They also have a responsibility to ensure that contracts are

adhered to through regular site inspections.

The Department also conducts regular site visits of projects

during the construction phase and again after completion to

ensure that the quality of units is of high standard. To date

there has not been any reports of shoddy workmanship or

inferior quality units.

QUESTION NO. 3591
3591. Mr K P Sithole (IFP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether any officials in his department (a) have been investigated, (b) are currently under investigation and (c) have been charged for alleged (i) corrupt or (ii) fraudulent activity; if so, what are the relevant details;

Whether any disciplinary action has been taken against employees of his department for (a) fraud and/or (b) corruption; if so, (i) how many instances of disciplinary actions have (aa) been finalised and (bb) not been finalised and (ii) in each case, (aa) what sanctions have been meted out and (bb) how long has it taken to finalise such disciplinary actions;

(3) Whether he has found that his department has adequate investigative capacity inclusive of manpower and infrastructure in respect of disciplinary proceedings; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) (a) None

(b) None

(c) None

(2) None

(3) The Department has adequate investigative capacity, where need be works in collaboration with the SIU in terms of Proclamation R7 of 2007 (as extended by Proclamation R35 of 2010).

QUESTION NO. 3579

Mr. R. Bhoola (Minority Front) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether rental tribunals have been constituted in all provinces in order to deal with the challenges where people's human rights are being violated; if not, (a) why not and (b) in which

provinces do rental tribunals still need to be constituted; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

Rental Housing Tribunals were constituted in seven provinces, namely; North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Kwazulu Natal. Free State and

Eastern Cape provinces do not have Rental Housing Tribunals.

a) The establishment of Rental Housing Tribunals is not compulsory in terms of the Rental Housing Act, 50 of 1999.

b) The Free State province is in the process of constituting a Rental Housing Tribunal. The Eastern Cape Province has taken no steps to establish a Rental Housing Tribunal.

QUESTION 3554

Mr R. B. Bhoola (MF) to ask the Minister of Human

Settlements:

Whether his department has a data base that captures the

details of persons who have (a) agreements in terms of the

Social Housing Act, Act 16 of 2008, (b) been allocated

institutional subsidies and (c) been evicted as a result of

financial difficulties; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what

are the relevant details in each case?

REPLY

a. The Department of Human Settlements does not have a

database that captures the details of persons who

have agreements with Social Housing Institutions.

However the Social Housing Regulatory Authority has

agreements with the Social Housing Institutions and as

required by the Social Housing Act a register which is

agreements with the Social Housing Institutions and as

required by the Social Housing Act a register which is

accessible to the public, is being maintained by the

SHRA of such Institutions.

b. The Department does have database of persons who

have been allocated institutional subsidies allocated per

project in its Housing Subsidy System (HSS).

c. The Department does not have a database of persons

who have been evicted due to financial difficulties. This

information can be accessed from Social Housing

Institutions delivery and Rental Tribunals.

QUESTION 3545
Mr G G Hill-Lewis (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) (a) Who are the members of the ministerial task team that he appointed to investigate delivery of sanitation and sewerage infrastructure and (b) what (i) are the qualifications and (ii) is the remuneration of each specified member of the task team;

(2) (a) what budget has been provided for (i) travel (ii) hotel accommodation and (iii) subsistence allowances and (b) which areas have been (i) visited and (ii) identified for future visits;

(3) What (a) are the terms of reference of the task team and (b) is the intended outcome?


REPLY

1. (a) and (b)(i) Members of the ministerial task team are Mrs NW Madikizela-Mandela Bachelor of Arts in Social Work; Dr Fazel Randera with Registrar Rotation in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Diploma Course in Occupational Health, Masters Course in Family Medicine amongst others; Dr Nombeko Mpako with Ph.D. in Art Education, Higher Education Diploma, BA Honours in Fine Art amongst others , Dr Mpho Thoabala with a Post Graduate Diploma in Health Management amongst others, Mrs Mantoa Mokhobo with BA Honours in Social Work; Mr Tom Manthata with Masters in International Relations; Mr James Prevost with Certificate in Management; Prof Zingisile Jobodwana with LLM; Mr Patrick Magebhula with matriculation; Advocate Nomazotsho Memani with LLM and a Diploma in Project Management for Rural Development amongst others, Ms Nono Mophethe Higher Diploma in Public Development Management; Mr Mthobeli Kolisa with Masters in Public Management and Ms Mandisa Mangqalaza with Masters in Environmental Science. (ii) Remuneration is determined in accordance with Treasury Regulations 20.2.1 to 20.2.4 and other relevant prescripts.

2 (a) (i) and (ii) Budget is to be sourced from the already existing budget from the sanitation programmes and travel, hotel accommodation and subsistence allowances are to be disbursed in line with Treasury Regulation 20.2.1 and other instruction notes as issued from time to time by the National Treasury.

(b) (i) and (ii) All such information will be contained in the report of the Task Team to avoid giving honourable members piece answers.

3. (a) The terms of reference of the task team include but are not limited to:

a. Reviewing and evaluating the Sanitation Programme as a key deliverable/contributor towards the development of sustainable and integrated human settlements.

b. Documenting irregularities and malpractices in the implementation and delivery of sanitation practices and refer appropriately.

c. Assessing, in all nine provinces, the prevalence and severity of the lack of appropriate norms and standards and the application of such in the provision of sanitation and toilet facilities.

d. Making recommendations on appropriate steps and actions to be taken to improve the implementation and delivery of the sanitation programme i.e. policy gaps, capacity implementation challenges.

(b) One of the intended outcomes will be eradication of unenclosed toilets and related indignities throughout the country.

QUESTION NO. 3485
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION
Ms M A A Njobe, MP (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether, with reference to his reply to question 2772 on 6 October 2011, he intends partnering with the (a) Department of Energy and (b) provincial Departments of Human Settlements to expand the Integrated Energy Environment Empowerment-Cost Optimisation (iEEECO), if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case?

REPLY


No. The Department of Human Settlements does not intend to enter into a partnership with the Department of Energy in expanding the iEEECO as the iEEECO is not an initiative of the Department of Energy.

QUESTION NO 3284

Mrs G M Borman (ANC) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether his department conducted an audit on the backlog in sanitation; if not, why not; if so, (a) what is the backlog in each province and (b) what is the targeted number of units to be built in each province in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013?

REPLY

The National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) has not conducted a sanitation backlog audit. The Department uses the Census 2001 backlog figures as a baseline. Therefore there is no need to conduct an audit as the census information is reliable and official. The backlog figures will be updated with census 2011 once they become available. Table 1 below provides the national household sanitation backlog profile from the period 2001 to 2011. In 2001 the number of households with no access to basic sanitation service was 4,759,184. As at April 2011, there were 2,405,331 households without access to basic sanitation services. The backlog is updated by using the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) expenditure information. The information is only for households, it does not include institutions such as schools and clinics.

Table 1: National Profile for Sanitation Backlog· Households

In 2010/11 financial year, the National Department of Human Settlements was allocated a new grant called the Rural Household Infrastructure Grant to assist with fast tracking sanitation delivery and some water supply in rural areas. The grant is targeting rural communities in 7 most rural provinces excluding Gauteng and Western Cape Table 2 indicates the allocation and estimated number of households to be served in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14

under the Rural Household Infrastructure RHIP programme.

Table 2: Allocation and estimated number of households to be served under RHIP

It is estimated that 147534 households will be served through this programme by 2013/14.

Basic sanitation service IS funded mainly through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant which is administered by the Department of Coorperative Governance. Table 3 below indicates the estimated funding available and estimated number of households to be served with sanitation in

2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG).

Table 3: Estimated budget and number of households to be served under MIG

It should be noted that the budget addresses both the urban (bulk sanitation) and rural (on site dry) sanitation.

QUESTION NO. 3237
Ms L H Adams (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) When does his department intend to finalise the updating of its section 14 Manual in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, on the functions of and index of records held by his department given its last update in 2006?

REPLY


The current published PAIA manual which has been updated In part, draws the functions of the department from the Housing Act (Act 104 of 1994). A processs is underway to review the Housing Act and promulgate a Human Settlements Act, which in turn will inform the functions that will be published in the updated PAIA manual.

In respect of the updated list of information available free of charge in terms of section 15 (1 )(a)(iii) of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (2 of 2000) and as required by the Department of Justice to be captured on Form D, the required list (Form D) has been compiled. A submission with an updated Form D has been made to the Department of Justice on 24 October 2011.

QUESTION NO. 3124

Mrs. M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether he has been informed of the (a) Reconstruction and Development Programme houses and (b) breaking new ground houses that remain unoccupied country wide; if not, what is the position in his regard, if so;

(2) (a) How many jobs were created and (b) what benefits have been transferred to black persons in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 financial years in the construction of these houses?

REPLY

(1) (a) Yes

(b) Yes

(2) (a) The number of jobs created in each of the financial years (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 would be informed by the actual number of houses built in the respective years, and remain unoccupied.

Statistics on the number of unoccupied houses built in the years referred to have not been determined.

(b) The benefits cannot be quantified for the same reason indicated in (a) above.

QUESTION NUMBER 3103

Mr A C Steyn to ask the Minister of Human

Settlements:

(1) Whether his department has implemented strategies to

eliminate the backlog in service delivery in terms of the

National Sanitation Programme; if not, why not; if so,

(a) what is the current rate of delivery in meeting his

department's objectives for the 2011-12 financial year

and (b) what are the further relevant details?

REPLY

The National Sanitation Programme of Government is

implemented by municipalities, especially those that are

designated as Water Services Authorities and is funded

through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) which is

managed by the Department of Cooperative Governance

(DCoG).

In the first six months of the current financial year i.e. April

to September 2011 the MIG programme delivered basic

sanitation facilities to 158 337 households nationally. This

translates to an average of 26389 units per month.

From July to Mid November 2011 this programme delivered

6009 units which translate to 1502 units per month. The

Department is not happy with the rate of delivery hence the

following steps are taken to accelerate the rate of delivery.

Regular project meetings are held with service providers

and their main contractors with the aim of ensuring that

projects run smoothly and where challenges are detected

corrective action is taken as early as possible.

Projects visits are also undertaken to verify work done and

to check whether quality standards and technical

QUESTION NO. 3102

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

Whether he has taken any action against his Director General for failing to provide any correspondence from the National Treasury authorizing his department to facilitate an advance payment to the Independent Development Trust (lDT) for the contract awarded as part of the National Sanitation Programme.

REPLY

Based on the background to the matter as well as information at my disposal on the matter, I am assured that no action is required of me on this matter, in relation to the conduct of the Director General.

QUESTION NO: 3022

Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether (a) his department and (b) any entity reporting to him was approached by a certain political organization (name furnished) to contribute to its 66th birthday celebrations; if so, in each case, (i) which entities and (ii) what was the (aa) nature and (bb) value of the contribution that was requested;

(2) Whether (a) his department and (b) any of the specified entities reporting to him agreed to the request; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (i) who approved the request, (ii) what was the justification for the agreement to the request and (iii) from which budget will the contribution be paid.

REPLY

(1)(a) and (b) None of the entities reporting to the Department of Human Settlements or the National Department of Human Settlements have been approached by any political organization to contribute to the 66th birthday celebrations of a certain political party.

(1)(b)(i) and (ii) None

(2)(a) and (b) None of the entities reporting to the Department of Human Settlements or the National Department of Human Settlements agreed to the request.

(2)(b) (i)(ii) and (iii) Not applicable, since none of the entities reporting to the Department of Human Settlements has ever received such a request.

QUESTION NO. 2868


Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:
(1) In each province, (a) how much has been spent on the housing rectification program per annum, (b) what was the tender and (c) final amount of each project;


(2) whether any action has been taken against developers responsible for the construction of inferior quality houses; if not, why not; if so, what (a) are the names of the developers and (b) are the relevant details;


(3) how many developers have received further tenders despite the construction of the inferior quality houses and delayed projects?


REPLY
The information regarding this question is not readily available on the Housing Subsidy System (HSS) within the Department and therefore the details will be provided once the information has been obtained from the Provincial Departments of Human Settlements.

QUESTION NO. 2867

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

(1) Since 2004, for each province, (a) which developers have awarded more than one tender to build Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses, (b) how many tenders have been awarded respectively, (c) what are the details of these tenders, (d) how many projects (i) have been completed, (ii) are under construction and (iii) are blocked, (e) how many houses have been build in respect of each project and (f) how many of these houses are occupied;

(2) how many (a) houses that have been built in respect of each project needed (i) to be demolished and rebuilt and (ii) rectification (b) developers have received further tenders despite the construction of poor quality houses and/or delayed projects and (c) developers who (i) failed to complete their projects or (ii) delivered poor quality housing have been blacklisted (aa) by his department and (bb) from doing business with government in general?

REPLY

The question is very detailed and requires an extensive reply. A great deal of research and investigations whose outcomes must be closely scrutinized needs to be undertaken, and double checked. Moreover, the question covers a period of seven (7) years and includes all provinces.

All the nine (9) Provinces have been requested to assist with replies to the various parts of the question.

QUESTION NO. 2772


Mrs. M A A Njobe (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether his department is a partner of the Department of Energy in expanding the integrated Energy Environment Empowerment-Cost Optimisation (iEEECO); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so; what are the relevant details?


REPLY
No. The Department of Human Settlements is not a partner of the Department of Energy in expanding the iEEECO. The iEEECO is not an initiative of the Department of Energy.


QUESTION NO. 2666


Mr K P Sithole (IFP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether his department has taken steps to deal with blocked sewage pipes in informal settlements; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;


(2) whether these measures have prevented the recurrence of the blockages in each case; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?


REPLY
(1) In terms of Schedule 48 of the Constitution, sanitation is a local government matter and the operations and maintenance of sewage systems is the responsibility of individual municipalities.

The National Department of Human Settlements funds the costs associated with the installation of infrastructure for water and sanitation in terms of the Informal Settlements Upgrading Programme.


(2) Please refer to the reasons provided in (1) above

QUESTION NO. 2665
WRITTEN REPLY
Mr- N M Kganyago (UDM) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether the Enhanced Extended Discount Scheme (EEDBS) has been implemented in (a) Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga and (6) Meiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape; if not, why not, in each case; if so, in each case, (i) how many Government-owned houses have been transferred to qualifying tenants in these areas in terms of this scheme (aa) in the (aaa) 2006-07, (bbb) 2007-08, (ccc) 2008-09, (ddd) 2009-10 and (eee) 2010-11 financial year and (bb) during the period I April 201 1 up fo the latest specified date for which information is available and (ii) what challenges are being experienced in implementing the scheme?

REPLY

There has been no EEDBS implementation in (a) Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga since the programme was initiated and (b) no EEDBS implementation in Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape during the years indicated.

According to information provided by the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements, regarding the implementation of the Scheme in Bushbuckridge, indicates that the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements is still conducting research pertaining to protocol and service level agreements between the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. It is also in discussion with the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works as the owners of the properties.

According to information provided by the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements indicates that, in respect of the implementation of the Scheme in Keiskammahoek, there are no confirmed pre-1994 properties falling under the EEDBS in the area in the years indicated in the question.

QUESTION NO 2642

Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether municipalities use the means test to determine eligibility for sanitation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

The primary intended recipients of basic sanitation services are poor households. Although there is a broader policy commitment to the delivery of basic sanitation services to all households, the policy is largely aimed at poor households.

There is no commonly agreed threshold of poverty in South Africa and a straightforward approach to defining poor households based on income. Households below a certain level of monthly Income can be classified as poor or indigents.

Water Services Authorities are required to develop and adopt an indigent policy in line with the national indigent framework provided by the Department of Cooperative Governance.

Due to the varying circumstances and conditions within the Water Services Authorities, it IS recognised that municipalities should exercise their right to apply the national indigent framework according to their own circumstances.

The Water Services Authorities use different approaches to target the indigents, these are:

Area based approach: households in a particular area are regarded as indigents as it might be more expensive for the Water Services Authority to target selected households.

Indigent register: Water Services Authorities invite people who earn less than a particular income to register as indigents.

The beneficiary households are therefore prioritised according to the approach used by the Water Services Authority concerned.

QUESTION NO.2619

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

Settlements:

Whether he has established any task teams since assuming

office; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many, (b) when were the

members of the task team appointed and (c) in respect of each

task team, what (i) was or is its mandate, (ii) are the names of its

members, (iii) were or are the (aa) outcomes and (bb)

recommendations made with regard to their mandate and (iv)

what is the current total cost?

REPLY

a) The Minister has established two Task Team, namely the

Ministerial Sanitation Task Team (MSTT) and the National

Audit Task Team (NATT).

b) The members of the Ministerial Sanitation Task Team were

appointed on 6 September 2011.

c)(i) The Terms of Reference of the MSTT are to:

• assess the lack of adherence to sanitation norms and

standards and the status quo of sanitation service

delivery in the country;

• advise the Minister on the sanitation implementation

issues including worst and best practices on sanitation

service delivery;

• review the National Sanitation Programme;

• identify and document the magnitude and scope of the

sanitation delivery problem, malpractices and

irregularities resulting In, among others, problems of

unenclosed toilets and the degree of operation and

maintenance of the sanitation facilities.

c) (ii) The MSTT members are:

QUESTION NO. 2545

Mrs G M Borman (ANC) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether (a) his department and (b) the entities reporting to him have implemented any energy-saving (i) practices or (ii) devices for buildings, offices and boardrooms in the 2010-11 financial year; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?


REPLY
(a)Department


i) The Department has implemented a plan which entails that at a certain time all lights in offices and boardrooms are physically switched off and only common areas is only lit up.


ii) The Department has purchased energy saving equipment in accordance with Department of Energy's specifications; furthermore the Department has installed energy saving bulbs and fittings in all the buildings which is occupying. The electricity consumption is being monitored and regulated by a device installed by the Department of Public Works.


(b) Human Settlements Institutions


1.2.1 Rural Housing Finance Loan Fund – RHLF The institution implements energy saving practices as follows:


i) Uses energy saving light bulbs throughout its office;
ii) As a rule lights are switched off after hours and throughout the weekends, public holidays and business closure between Christmas and New Year.


1.2.2 National Housing Finance Corporation – NHFC The NHFC implements energy saving practices as follows:


i) Offices are fitted with energy saving lights.
ii) Every night all lights are switched off by employees and the caretaker.
iii) All IT procured equipment such as the server etc. are low energy consumers.
iv) All air conditioners are on a timer -switch, which automatically powers down at night.
v) Furthermore NHFC IS currently developing environmentally friendly policies identifying potential further energy savings initiatives for implementation.


1.2.3 Housing Development Agency – HAD The HDA implements the following energy saving measures:


i) energy saving light bulbs in the office and
ii) sensor lights in the parking garage.


1.2.4 National Urban and Reconstruction Agency – NURCHA The institution implements any energy efficient systems at its offices. The entity currently does not own the buildings
and therefore has no capital budget to make any permanent improvements.


1.2.5 Social Housing Regulatory Authority – SHRA The institution implements the following energy saving measures:


i) With regard to SHRA office space, the institution has attempted to make the best use of space and light so that the organization uses natural light as much as possible. The entity has encouraged staff to switch off lights when leaving the office.
ii) With regard to capital projects, the interest on the capital portion has been used to:-

· Install solar geysers in projects (Southernwood PE, Steenberg, CT)

· Build water reservoirs to collect rain water (grey) to be used for washing cars etc (Roodepoort)

1.2.6 National Home Builders Registration Council – NHBRC The institution has not implemented any energy saving practices or (ii) devices for buildings, offices and boardrooms in the 2010/11 financial year. The mandate of the NHBRC is to regulate the home building industry and protect the housing consumer.

QUESTION NUMBER. 2529

Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether he has been informed of five distraught families in Viljoenskroon and Rammolutsi whose houses have been demolished in the expectation of being provided with RDP houses (details furnished); if so.

(2) Whether he intends to assist these families; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) when and (b) what are the further relevant details?

REPLY

(1) The Premier of the Free State Province during his visit to Viljoeskroon identified the five households whose homes were in such a state of disrepair and dilapidation and in need of immediate rectification;

The Premier instructed that these homes be demolished and rebuilt, and the families be housed temporarily in the makeshift structures.

The families were approved to receive 50 square metre houses under the Provincial Operation Hlasela Programme and funding for the construction of these houses was to be provided for in terms of the Provincial Human Settlements Programme.

(2) These families are receiving assistance from the Provincial Department.

The four families are already occupying their houses and the contractor, has donated furniture.

On the remaining site a dispute exists between the owner and the Province on the size of the house to be provided; and negotiations arc underway to arrive at an amicable solution.

QUESTION NO. 2528

Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether the Western Cape provincial department has communicated the challenges it encounters in the delivery of houses to his department; if so, what (a) are the challenges and

(b) steps have his department taken in this regard?

REPLY

All provinces were consulted and participated in the identification of challenges affecting the accelerated delivery of human settlements. This constituted an important step towards the convening of the Presidential Special Coordinating Council on Human Settlements on the 18 May 2010.

Challenges identified include;

• Alignment of mandates, powers and functions

• Capacity challenges including bulk infrastructure

• Inadequate funding and poor financial modelling

• Mobilisation of non financial resources, including land

• The need to review the legislative environment

The challenges affecting the Western Cape are not dissimilar to challenges encountered in other provinces. The presentation I made to the Portfolio Committee on 24 November 2010 reflected the fact that we are grappling with these matters countrywide. We are ceased with all matters that require policy changes, and as such all MEC's have been written letters to, requiring their input in this regard. Other matters in the domain of provinces remain as programmes to be pursued by individual provinces.

QUESTION NO; 2502

Mr S B Farrow (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether any of the following companies or entities (i) Bobwil Projects, (ii) Casino Retail, (iii) Chamber Management Services, (iv) Hyperception Properties 213, (v) Justco Investments, (vi) Lezmin 2554, (vii) Mokerong Printing and Promotions, (v iii) Que Trade 101 RHC Properties, (ix) Sonex, and (x) Ivothondaba Properties have been awarded any (a) tenders, (b) contracts, (c) had any financial transactions with (aa) the Department or (bb) entities reporting to the Department; if so, (aaa) which company or entity, (bbb) what are the relevant details, (ccc) what was the value of each (aaaa) tender, (bbbb) contract or, (cccc) financial transaction and (ddd) what were the names of the companies which failed for each tender, contract or financial transactions that was awarded since 2005-06 to present?

REPLY

The Department of Human Settlements and public entities reporting to it did not award any tenders, or concluded any contracts and financial transactions with any of the said companies since 2005-06 financial year till present.

QUESTION NO: 2433

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

What amount was (a) claimed by and (b) paid to (i) him and (ii) his deputy minister for subsistence and travel in each month in the 2010/11 financial year?

REPLY

(a) No amount was claimed by the Minister.

(b) (i) No amount was paid to the Minister for subsistence and travel in the 2010/11 financial year.

(ii) The information related to the Deputy Minister will be forwarded after being collated and verified.

QUESTION NO. 2396


Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:
1. How many Cuban (a) architects and (b) engineers have extended technical assistance to a low-cost housing project, the People's Housing Process, in terms of an agreement signed in 2004 by his predecessor and the Cuban minister of construction;


2 (a) how many Cuban (i) architects and (ii) engineers entered the country in order to participate in this project,
(b) when did each specified (i) architect and (ii) engineer enter the country, (c) what was the contract period of each specified (i) architect and (ii) engineer and (d) when did the last of the said (i) architects and (ii) engineers leave the country;


3. (a) how many houses were built with the assistance of these Cuban (i) architects and (ii) engineers as part of the People's Housing Process, (b) in which towns were these
houses built, (c) who acquired these houses and (d) what steps did his department take to ensure that the architects and engineers transfer their skills to local persons;


4. Whether his department has established similar projects, if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details,


5. Whether local (a) architects and (b) engineers are employed for these specified projects, if not, why not, if so, in each case, how many (i) architects and (ii) engineers are being used?


REPLY
Forty-Eight (48) Cuban Architect and Engineers provided technical support during the implementation of the low-cost housing project, the People's Housing Process in terms of an agreement signed in 2004 (see table below).

Forty-Five (45) Cuban Architect and Engineers provided technical support during the implementation of the low-cost housing project, the People's Housing Process in terms of the 2004 agreement, renewed in 2007 (see table below).


QUESTION NO. 2386

Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether, with reference to the fact that elevated levels of radioactive pollutants from gold mining waste in the Witwatersrand goldfields are damaging to human health (details furnished), he is taking any steps to (a) stop settlement around these areas, (b) remove people already living on contaminated land, (c) warn the (i) provincial and local government and (ii) public of the dangers and (d) prevent further settlement; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

REPLY

(a) No. It is the responsibility of the Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing and the relevant Municipalities in collaboration with other sector departments to control and manage human settlements.

Where new formal human settlements are to be established, various legislative requirements must be adhered to in terms of, for instance, Ordinance 25 of 1986 (Town Planning and Townships Ordinance or Regulations) or the Development Facilitation Act (DFA). These, in conjunction with the National Environmental Management Act, provide for a transparent process that will allow for a township development to be legal, safe and habitable for human settlement.

(b) In cases where settlements are located on contaminated land and have serious health implications, it is the responsibility of the Provincial Department and/or the relevant Municipality to inform the people of the implications and to relocate the affected people under the Emergency Housing Programme as outlined in the National Housing Code.

(c) In terms of the Housing Act, Provinces and Municipalities are mandated to plan, control and develop land for human settlements, as well as to regulate the use of land, including where dangerous, unsafe or unhealthy circumstances prevail.

(d) Further settlement in contaminated areas will be prevented through existing legal procedures which are required in terms of township establishment legislation and the Environmental Management Act.

QUESTION NO. 2382

Ms B N Dambuza (ANC) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) What has been the progress to develop land in St Albans in the Eastern Cape for the benefit of the Fischer Corner Community

(b) What happened to the funds that were set aside to start the project in 2009 financial year?

REPLY

(a) No significant progress has been made regarding the project. The Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs did not issue the Record of Decision for the project due to the fact that vegetation of a sensitive nature occurs on land bought for the community. The land can therefore not be developed and the Metro is in the process of identifying alternative land for the community of Fischer Corner.

(b) A business plan was drafted for the project and included in the 2009110 Conditional Grant Business Plan. As the Record of Decision was not issued, the project had to revert back to the pre-planning activities and is excluded from the province's Annual Performance Plans. No funds were approved for the project. The Metro will use the Urban Settlement Development Grant and Human Settlement Development Grant to implement the project.

QUESTION NO 2263
Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether his department has developed a national sanitation policy to accelerate the eradication of sanitation backlogs in (a) schools, (b) informal settlements and (c) rural areas; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case; if not,

(2) Whether his department intends developing such policy; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

Sanitation provision is governed by the White Paper on Basic Household Sanitation which was approved by Cabinet in September 2001. It addresses, primarily, the challenges of service delivery backlogs in low density rural areas, where on-site dry toilets are generally the most suitable technical option. It favours a demand responsive approach, where a direct contribution by each household to the construction of the toilet is taken as a proxy for demand.

Yet the thrust of water sector policy, notably the 2003 Strategic Framework for Water Services, emphasizes sustainable servicing by municipalities. In practice, the sector has moved decisively from a household assistance programme to a municipal provision programme.

The Department has embarked on a process to revise the White Paper on Basic Household Sanitation, 2001. It has become increasingly evident that there is a need to revise the current White Paper as its primarily rural focus offers limited guidance to municipalities in addressing sanitation delivery in other settlements types.

Now that South Africa has moved towards a single capital fund for infrastructure, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, it is imperative that the scope of the revised national sanitation policy be broadened so that it speaks more effectively to the range of challenges which confront municipalities across the diversity of settlements they service.

The revised national sanitation policy also addresses institutional sanitation, i.e. school and clinics.

Stakeholders' consultations are taking place. It is anticipated that the policy will be ready for approval by end of March 2012.

QUESTION NO. 2262

Mrs. M A A Njobe, (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


Whether his department has developed any policies to prevent dumping of waste around human settlements which is a threat to the environment; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

The Department has not developed any policies to prevent dumping of waste around human settlements as that function falls under the responsibilities of the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

QUESTION NO. 2198

Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) What are the reasons for the under-expenditure in respect of interest paid on financial leases in the budget in the 2010-11 financial year;

(2) whether any steps have been taken to ensure optimum expenditure levels on this budget item for the 2011-12 financial year; if not, why not; if so, what steps?

REPLY

(1) Payments for leasing of photocopy machines are in terms of the current prescripts classified as financial leases. The interest on the lease is amortized for the period of the lease agreement which is normally 36 months. The interest is therefore calculated using the amortization tables wherein the interest portion of the monthly payment decreases as the lease period progresses to the end. The under spending is due to the fact that a number of lease agreements are in their last years while the budget was based on their first years. This has resulted in the overestimation of the amount payable for interest.

(2) In the 2011/12 financial year a number of leases were or are being renewed for sustainable service delivery which would consequently address the under spending. The budget will also be reviewed as part of the mid year adjustment process.

QUESTION NO. 2086

Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether any houses have been built on

(a) land reform farms and

(b) state-owned land that have been classified as agricultural land in the past five years; if not, why not, in each case; if so, for each province, (i) on how many of these farms/state-owned land have these houses been built, (ii) how many houses have been built on each farm/state-owned land, (iii) what is the total amount spent to build these houses for each farm/state-owned land and (iv) how many of these specified houses are occupied;

(2) Whether all these occupants have the title deed to their respective houses; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

INTERIM REPLY

The information regarding this question is not readily available on the Housing Subsidy System (HSS) within the Department and therefore the details will be provided once the information has been obtained from the Provincial Departments of Human Settlements.

QUESTION NO: 2016

Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) At how many (i) international and (ii) domestic hotels/guest houses were (aa) he and (bb) the Deputy Minister accommodated during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what (i) was the (aa) name, (bb) star rating and (cc) city location of each specified establishment, (ii) was the (aa) duration and (bb) purpose of the stay in each case and (iii)(aa) was the total cost of the accommodation and (bb) is the breakdown of the accommodation cost in each case?

Reply available here

QUESTION NO. 1942

Mr MJ Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Human

Settlements:

(a) How many (i) international flights and (ii) domestic flights were undertaken by (aa) him and (bb) his deputy minister using (aaa) military aircraft, (bbb) chartered aircraft or (ccc) commercial aircraft during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available,

(b) What class did he and his deputy minister travel in each case and

(c) What amount did his department spend with regard to each specified flight?

REPLY

(aa) Minister Sexwale

(i)How many International flights: 0

(ii)How many Domestic flights: 68

(aaa)Using Military aircraft: 0

(bbb) Using Chartered aircraft: 2 See (i) - (iii)

(ccc) Using Commercial aircraft: 68

(b) What class: 26 x Bus, 42 x Eco, 02 x Chart

(c) What amount: R 342 304.00

(i) A helicopter flight to the Free State, Harrismith to deal with potentially violent situation at Tshiane Township on the 13th July 2011.

(ii) A helicopter flight to North West Province on the 24 August 2010 to handover houses in Coligny.

(iii) Minister travelled to Angola and Equatorial Guinea in his own jet aircraft at zero cost to the State.

(bb) Flight details regarding the Deputy Minister will be provided as soon as they have been collated.