Human Settlement

2011-11-25

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QUESTION NUMBER 1908

MR. J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether he has employed a ministerial special advisor; if so, (a) what are the duties of the advisor, (b) at which post level was the appointment made, (c) what is the salary level of the advisor, (d) what is the duration of the employment contract entered into with the advisor and (e) why was it necessary to appoint this advisor?"

REPLY

Mr Richard Dyantyi has been appointed as a special advisor

(a) His duties are:

(i) To advise the Minister, including the Deputy Minister on matters related to the development and implementation of policies to promote Human Settlement objectives, and any other related matter to the duties of Executive Authority.

(b) Compensation level IV

(d) The contract of the Special Advisor is linked to the term of Office of the Minister

(e) The Minister of the DPSA was requested to approve the appointment of a special advisor to the Minister in terms of the provisions of the Ministerial Handbook. The purpose of the appointment was to advise on human settlement specific issues since he is experienced in the field.

QUESTION NO: 1794

Mr. A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

What is the breakdown in terms of (a) age and (b) gender of beneficiaries of the National Housing Finance Corporation In each province in the 2010 - 11 financial years?

REPLY

Currently, the breakdown for National Housing Finance Corporation beneficiaries in each province for 2010 - 11 financial years is as follows:

AGE

PROVINCE	AGE
	20-39	40-59	60+
Gauteng	1887	778	3
Eastern Cape	818	238	147
KZN	219	91	1
WI Cape	371	338	348
F/State	25	18	1
Limpopo	0	0	0
Mpumalanga	0	0	0
North West	0	0	0
TOTAL	3320	1463	500

GENDER

PROVINCE	FEMALE	MALE
Gauteng	1279	1379
Eastern Cape	866	479
KZN	146	74
Western Cape	721	275
Free State	14	27
Limpopo	4	0
Mpumalanga	15	0
North West	5	0
TOTAL	3050	2234

QUESTION NO. 1793
Mr AM Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether his department has concluded any agreements with other departments in pursuit of its mandate in section 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details in respect of each agreement?"

REPLY

The Department of Human Settlements has entered into Delivery Agreements with relevant partner departments for the achievement of Outcome 8: Create Sustainable Human Settlements and improved Quality of Household life, in terms of its constitutional obligations under Section 26.

1. A Delivery Agreement for Output 3 of Outcome 8 signed between the Minister for Human Settlements and the Ministers for Public Works, Rural Development and Land Reform, and Public Enterprises. In terms of Output 3, the

departments are required to co-operate in "the release of well located land and properties owned and held by the state" for the purposes of housing and human settlements development.

2. A further Delivery Agreement has been entered into for Output 2 of Outcome 8 between the Minister for Human Settlements and the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. In terms of Output 2, the Department of Human settlements will support the Department of Co-operative Governance in the achievement of improved access to basic services for households.

For further details on these delivery agreements, please refer to the Presidency's website for the Programme of Action which can be accessed at www.poa.qov.za/

QUESTION NO.1746

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

(1) Whether, since the Development Bank of SA (DBSA) was called in to intervene to find solutions for the problems experienced by the Cornubia Project (Sic) in KwaZulu-Natal, an agreement between the DBSA and the Cornubia Project (Sic) has been concluded; if not, why not; if so, what (a) progress has been made in this regard and (b) are the further relevant details;

(2) What progress has been made in setting up the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements' sanitation office which is being established to deliver sanitation infrastructure?

REPLY

1. The eThekweni Municipality has not entered into any

agreement with DBSA with respect to finding a solution to problems experienced by Cornubia, hence there is no progress to report on. However, the eThekwini Municipality is currently working with DBSA to explore opportunities to develop a Social Accounting Matrix, but nothing has been formalised as yet.

2. The Provincial Department of Human Settlements has provided office space to accommodate officials of the Sanitation unit from the National Department of Human Settlements. Consequently, the said officials are physically located within the Provincial Department. Efforts are underway to complete other functional and logistical requirements to ensure optimum levels of operation.

QUESTION 1705 PAPER QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

1705. Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(2) (a) what was the actual budget increase each year, expressed as a percentage, for funds allocated to this sub-programme and (b) how is this increase for each specified financial year justified?

NW1919E

REPLY

(1) The amount spent by the Ministry sub-programme for the financial year 2009/10 and 2010/11 is as follows:

Expenditure

Economic Classification

2009/10

2010/11

Compensation of employees

Goods and services

Interest Paid Financial Leases Payments For Financial Assets Households

Machine and equipment

12,923,452

9,428,372

43) 364

116,171

11,927

1,135,931

14,705,115

9,068,881

4,546

49,439

584,272

Total

23,659,218

24,412,253

Expenditure increases slightly by 3%between 2009/10 and 2010/11 financial years. Expenditure on compensation of employees is the greatest contributor to the increase and is as a result of the annual salary increases as well as the filling of vacancies. Goods and services decreased due to the cost saving measures that have been imposed on the Department. Machinery and equipment decreased in 2010/11 due to the purchasing of equipment (Computers, notebooks and vehicles) in the 2009/10 financial year, in contrast to 2010 where the department did not purchase any equipment.

(2) The allocation of the Ministry sub-programme is as follows:

Budget

Economic Classification	2009/10	2010/11
Compensation of employees Goods and services Interest Paid Financial Leases Payments For Financial Assets Households Machine and equipment	13,026,4421 16,180,825 44,984 116,539 14,960 1,339,993	15,855,157 14,332,776 15,794 53,712 0 1,267,884
Total	30,723,743	31,525,323
% Change from Previous Financial Year	-4%	3%

For the 2009/10 financial year the allocation decreased by 4% from 2008/09 financial year and this is due to the efficiency savings which were imposed. The allocation for 2010/11 financial year increased by 3% but was less than inflation. The low increase can be attributed to the efficiency savings.

QUESTION NO: 1658

Dr C Mulder (FF-Plus) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

How many (a) African, (b) Coloured, (c) Indian and (d) white employees are there in each of the public institutions that report to his department in terms of schedules 1 to 3D of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999?

REPLY

Currently the employment statistics of all entities reporting to the Department of Human Settlements are as follows:

1. RHLF

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
9	0	0	2	1 1

2. HDA

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
42	16	6	11	75

3. SHRA

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
6	1	5	2	14

4. NURCHA

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
22	2	4	11	39

5. NHFC

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
70	7	5	5	87

6. NHBRC

AFRICAN	COLOURED	INDIAN	WHITE	TOTAL
266	20	9	21	316

QUESTION 1653

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

How many households in each province are still using bucket system?

REPLY

A total number of 86 443 households are still using the sanitation bucket system with the highest number in the Free State and Eastern Cape Provinces. Detail of the number of households per in the relevant Provinces is set out in the table below:

Province	Number of Municipalities	Number of Households
Eastern Cape	10	28 887
Free State	16	38 366
Gauteng	1	58
Northern Cape	11	14 797
North West	6	3503
Western Cape	7	832
GRAND TOTAL		86 443

In most of the Provinces affected, such as the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and the Free State, funding has already been secured or is in the process of being secured to finance the upgrading of the sanitation bucket system either through the Human Settlements Grant, the Urban Settlements Development Grant or municipal funding.

In KZN, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga there are no Bucket Systems.

QUESTION 1537

Mr. AM Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether his department has created any new jobs in terms of its mandate under its current designation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of its initiatives to create jobs according to (a) gender, (b) age and (c) people with disabilities?

REPLY

(1) In the delivery of 220,000 houses, the Department creates 56,961 direct job opportunities during construction and 53,148 indirect job opportunities from the suppliers. The recent research on the economic impact of housing programme by the Department of Human Settlements shows that about 3 persons are employed in the delivery of one 40m² house. Considering the defining of employment which stipulates that employment mean one person employed for a period of one year (12 months), therefore the delivery of 220,000 houses sustains 56,961 direct jobs.

(2) These numbers are line with the results of the recent study on the economic impact of housing programme which say the delivery of houses from inception of the programme to March 2010 created 854,653 jobs during the construction. On average this constitutes 53,000 direct jobs per annum.

(3) Regarding gender, age and people with disability, the study on the economic impact of housing programme revealed the following average percentages of employment of special groups, in recent projects, as noted from municipal and contractors' responses:

a. Women constituted 18% of the work force

b. Youth constituted 280/0 and

c. Disabled workers constituted 1 % of the work force

(4) Despite that the delivery of houses within human settlements space does targets special groups; EPWP criteria provide scope for greater use of special groups in housing projects. EPWP criteria requires that 40% of temporary job days must be reserved for women, 30% for youth (ages 16 to 35 years) and 3^% for persons with disabilities.

QUESTION 1536

Mr. AM Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether he has been informed of an informal settlement called Airport Township next to the East London Airport; if so,

(2) (a) whether his department intends developing this area; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) The department has been informed of an informal settlement called Airport Township next to the East London Airport. The settlement is comprised of the following three informal settlements - Orange Grove, Fort Grey and Greydal.

(2) The Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements is in the process of acquiring Erf 862, measuring approximately 343 hectares, for the development of an Integrated Sustainable the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements will be concluded at the end of August 2011. The Pre-planning phase of the area will commence once the transfer of land to the province is concluded.

QUESTION NO. 1509

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

(1) Whether, with reference to the Vulindlela Housing Project, (a) his department consulted with the Msunduzi Municipality and (b) the Msunduzi Municipality as the developer is responsible for the appointment of service providers; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case;

(2) Whether a tender process was followed; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) Whether any advertising for a service provider to conduct a feasibility study has been duplicated resulting in wasteful expenditure; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) Whether any advance payments have been made to a certain company (name furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(5) Whether the beneficiaries of this project will receive (a) the title deeds to these houses and (b) full housing subsidies; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

REPLY

(1) a) The project was initiated by the uMsunduzi Municipality as was identified in the municipality's Integrated Development Plan.

b)The uMsunduzi Municipality is not the developer for Vulindlela Housing Project, but the community based organization, Vulindlela Development Association is the developer and is responsible for all appointments on the project. The uMsunduzi Municipality is a project stakeholder.

(2) The tender process was followed however the community requested the project to be implemented using the enhanced People's Housing Process (PHP) Policy where the community has control over the entire process of the development.

(3) No feasibility studies have ever been duplicated.

(4) The Establishment and Facilitation Grants were partly paid to the National Urban and Reconstruction Agency (NURCHA), the Account Administrator in line with the signed contract noting that the money will only be released to service providers for work completed.

(5) a) The project is a rural housing project, where the land is vested with the Ingonyama Trust Board and beneficiaries have already been allocated permission to occupy by the Local Amakhosi. This is in line with Chapter 11 of the Housing Code dealing with Rural Housing Subsidy.

b) Housing subsidies are allocated in line with the Rural Housing Policy instrument and the enhanced People's Housing prescripts

QUESTION NO: 1508

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

Whether he intends investigating any possible conflict of interest of the members of the Vulindlela Development Association and a certain company (name furnished) in the Vulindlela Housing Project in the Msunduzi municipality in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

The information asked in the question has been referred to the Province for response. The honourable member will be furnished with such upon receipt.

QUESTION NO. 1507

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

Whether his department has made any progress with regard to the development of land for the benefit of the Fischers Corner community in St Albans in the Eastern Cape; if not, (a) why not and (b) what happened to the funds that he set aside to start this project in 2009; if so] what progress?

REPLY

The following information was received from the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements.

(a) The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro indicated that the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs did not issue the Record of Decision for the project due to the fact that the original land bought for the community comprises of vegetation that is of a sensitive nature and therefore cannot be developed. The Metro is in the process of identifying alternative land that will accommodate the community of Fischers Corner.

(b) A business plan was drafted for the project and included in the 2009 Conditional Grant Business Plan. No funds have been approved for this project, as the Record of Decision was not issued by the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs. The project therefore had to revert back to the preplanning activities and was, consequently, excluded from the province's Annual Performance Plans. The Metro will use the Urban Settlement Development Grant and Human Settlement Development Grant to implement the project.

QUESTION NO: 1466

Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) On how many occasions since 1 March 2010 did his office hire a vehicle to transport (i) him and (ii) his Deputy Minister and (b) in each case, (i) what was the cost of hiring the vehicle, (ii) for what reason was the vehicle hired, (iii) for how many days, (iv) what (aa) make and (bb) model of vehicle was hired and (v) what total distance was travelled?

Reply

It is suggested that the Minister responds in the following manner below:

(a) On how many occasions since 1 March 2010 did his office hire a vehicle to transport;

(i)

Him

(ii)

His Deputy Minister

8 Occasions

Details are being compiled

Minister

(i) What was the cost of hiring the vehicle	(ii) For what reason was the vehicle hired	( iii) For how many days	(iv) (aa)&(bb) Make & Model	(v) What total distance was travelled
1.R1 122.79	Ministerial duties	1 day	Merc E200	46 kms
2. R2 186. 14	Ministerial duties	2 days	Merc C180	220 kms
2. R2 186. 14	Ministerial duties	2 days	Merc C180
3. R5 223.79	Ministerial duties	2 days	Merc C180	749 kms
4. R1 382.34	Ministerial duties	1 day	Merc E200	38 kms
5. R6674.91	Ministerial duties	1 day	BMW X6	488 kms
6.R6 325.56	Ministerial duties	3 days	Merc C180	773 kms
7.R1 883.96	Ministerial duties	1 day	Merc C180	187 kms
8.R2 474.52	Ministerial duties	1 day	Merc C180	329 kms
R 27 274.01	Total Amount Total Kms 2 830 kms

QUESTION NO. 1366

Mr N M Kganyago (UDM) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

Whether the Enhanced Extended Discount Benefit Scheme (EEDBS) has been implemented in (a) Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga and (b) Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape; if not, why not, in each case; if so, in respect of each specified area, (i) how many government owned houses have been transferred in terms of EEDBS to qualifying tenants since the 2006-07 financial year and (ii) what are the challenges that are experienced in implementing this scheme?

REPLY

There has been no EEDBS implementation in (a) Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga and (b) Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape.

In respect of the implementation of the Scheme in Keiskammahoek, there are no confirmed pre-1994 properties falling under the EEDBS in the area which falls under the Amahlati Municipality.

Regarding the implementation of the Scheme in Bushbuckridge, the Mpumalanga Province 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.

QUESTION 1113

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

(a) What process is followed in each of the provinces to (i) identify approved beneficiaries of subsidised housing and (ii) handover completed houses to such approved beneficiaries and (b) what alternative process is followed if the originally approved beneficiary cannot be traced?

REPLY

(a)(i) Once a subsidy application has been approved, the household's details are captured on the Housing Subsidy System to facilitate the management of the housing subsidy scheme. Towards the completion of a subsidised housing project the names of the approved applicants will be linked to specific houses and the properties will be registered in the names of these beneficiaries.

(a)(ii) Once the subsidised houses have been completed and evaluated, a certificate from a suitably qualified professional person and an official of the Provincial Human Settlements Department and/or the municipality must be issued, certifying that the house has been completed in line with all specifications and requirements. In addition to the completion certificate the following certificates should also be obtained:

a certificate signed by the beneficiary that he/she has taken occupation of the property; and

a certificate signed by the beneficiary that he or she is satisfied with the property.

(b) If a subsidy beneficiary cannot be traced an application must be lodged, in terms the Deeds Registries Act, 1937 (Act No. 47 of 1937), with the High Court for the cancellation of the registration in the name of the missing beneficiary/existing owner. The property can then be registered in the name of an alternative subsidy beneficiary. For this purpose the Guidelines for the deregistration of missing beneficiaries of Government subsidised houses has been introduced in 2005.

QUESTION NO.1053

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

With reference to his reply to Question 467 on 15 March 2011, (a) what is estimated timeframe within which the specified provincial departments and will collect the requested information and (b) when will the information be made available?

REPLY

(a) Subsequent to the Parliamentary Question 467 asked by Mr A.C.Steyn (DA) on the 15^th March 2011, the National Department requested Provincial Human Settlements to submit the relevant report by 31 March 2011

(b) Once the provincial reports have been received by the National Department, a consolidated report will be prepared and submitted To Parliament not later than 30 April 2011

QUESTION NO.1016

Mr N Sighn, (IFP) posed the following Questions to be Minister of Human Settlements:

1) Whether provision has been made by the National Housing Scheme for assistance for people in the R7 000 to R15 000 income category; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

2) Whether any provinces have been allocated with funding for such assistance; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1) The current National Housing Programme : Finance-Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) only caters for households earning up to R700,00 per month.

However, the Department in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders are in the process of finalizing the details of the R1 billion guarantee scheme that was announced by the President in his State of the Nation Address. Coinciding with this initiative is the revision of the Finance-Linked Individual Subsidy Programme, to align with the current market requirements. Investigation will also assess whether the current income cut-off margin of R7000,00 per month requires re-consideration.

2) The annual Human Settlements/Housing vote allocation to provinces may only be applied in terms of the provisions of the current National Housing Programmes.

QUESTION NO: 845

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

a)(i) When was the decision initially taken to close down the North West Housing Corporation and (ii) by whom was the decision taken, (b) what is the current status of the entity and (c) what steps have been taken in this regard since the decision was taken;

(2) whether any service providers have been employed to assist with the closing down process; if so, for each service provider employed, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what has been the total amount spent on their services to date;

(3) (a) what are the reasons for the entity not being closed down at this stage and (b) when is it envisaged that the entity will be fully closed down?

REPLY

1.a) (i) The decision was announced during the 2006/2007 budget speech of the MEC for Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing on 16 May 2006.

(ii) The former MEC for Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing, Mr Vilakazi, on 10 May 2010.

b) The Corporation has ceased all operations but continues to exist as a legal entity. However, service providers have been appointed to finalise the closure process.

c) The North West Province has appointed service providers to wind up the Corporation.

2) Three service providers have been appointed.

2.1 (a) Ontekane Financial Services were appointed to assist with administrative processes of the Corporation. Appointed period: 01 July 2009 to 31 March 2010

(b ) Total spent to date is R 1.17 million

2.2 (a) Motat Chartered Accountants were appointed to prepare Annual Financial Statements for three years (Appointment period - 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2011).

(b) Total spent to date is approximately R1.3 million (final audit of this account is to be done at the conclusion of the contract)

2.3 (a) Salkia Joint Venture was appointed on 01 November 2010. The mandate for the service provider is to:

· conduct property verifications;

· repeal the North West Housing Corporation Act;

· wind up the institution financially and legally, and

· provide conveyancing services.

(b) Total spent to date is nil.

3. The reasons for the Corporation not being closed down are as follows:

· there was no budgetary allocation to fund the winding up process,

· influx of pending litigations against the Corporation;

· challenges faced in the verification exercise, and

· challenges relating to the reconstruction of the Asset Register.

(b) The winding up of the Corporation is anticipated to be finalised in the next financial year ( 2011/12).

QUESTION NO 817

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

Whether (a) his department or (b) any of its affiliated entities have purchased any tickets for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011; if not, why not; if so, (i) what process has been followed to purchase these tickets, (ii) how many tickets have been purchased, (iii) for which matches, (iv) what has been the total cost of these tickets, (v) what are the reasons for purchasing these tickets, (vi) to whom will each of these tickets be allocated and (vii) on what was the decision for the allocation of these tickets based?

REPLY:

QUESTION NO 517
517 Mr AC Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) (a) In each province, what are the names of the (i) various blocked housing projects and (ii) municipalities in which they are located, (b) when was each project (i) started and (ii) completed, (c) what is the total (i) contract value and (ii) amount spent for each contract and (d) in respect of each contract, how many units (i) were supposed to be delivered and (ii) were completed;

(2) whether the completed houses in these blocked projects have been handed over to the intended beneficiaries; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

The National Department of Housing is in the process of collating this information from Municipalities via the Provincial Departments.

It is anticipated that it will take considerable amount of time to complete.

QUESTION NUMBER 497

MR J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

Whether (a) his department or (b) any (i) agency or institution which receives transfers from his department budget employs staff to perform the duties set out in the Minimum Information and Security Standards (MISS) that were adopted by Cabinet on 4 December 1996 or any subsequent version of the MISS; if not; why not; in each case; if so, in each case (aa) how many and (bb) what (aaa) is the job title; (bbb) is the employment level, (ccc) are the academic qualifications; (ddd) is the salary and (eee) are the other benefits of each specified staff member? -

REPLY

Please see the attached

QUESTION NO. 467

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

(1) For each province, (a) how many housing projects have been conducted in terms of which the houses that were built have been (I) demolished or (ii) rebuilt, (b) what are the (i) names of these projects and (Ii) municipalities in which they are located, (c) when were these projects (i) started and (ii) completed, (d) what was the total value of each contract and (e) what was the total amount spent on each project;

(2) for each project in each province, (a) how many (i) houses was' each project required to' deliver] (ii) houses did the project deliver at the end of the contract and (iii) houses needed to be (aa) rectified and (bb) rebuilt, (b) what is the estimated cost to (i) rectify and (ii) rebuild these houses and (c) what plans are in place to provide alternative accommodation to the occupants of the houses that are being worked on?

REPLY

The extent and level of detail of the information as requested on a project level requires that inputs be gathered from provincial departments of housing/human settlements, as well as certain municipalities.

Requests for the required information have been forwarded to the relevant offices, and will be made available after it has been collated.

QUESTION NO.325

Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister in terms of Parliamentary Question NO.325 on the following:

(1) Whether with .reference to the case between the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Housing, Safety and liaison and the King Williams Town Housing Association (KWTHA), the money that was awarded to the department has been fully recovered in terms of the court order; if not, (a) why not and (b) what is being done to recover the money from the KWTHA; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) Whether (a) the KWTHA or (b) any of its directors received any housing-related contracts from (i) the Provincial department or (ii) any other department in the provincial government; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) Whether (a) the KWTHA or (b) any of its directors have been blacklisted the provincial government; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) The money owed by KWTHA in terms of the court order has not been recovered. The legal process of attaching KWTHA's assets by the Sheriff, following a court order, did not bear fruit as KWTHA had already disposed of such assets, when it closed down. A moratorium was placed against KWTHA alienating pieces of land that it owned. The Provincial Department has initiated a process of transferring those pieces of land and the developed low income housing units from KWTHA to the Department. The process is currently stalled due to the debt of R3, 8m owed to the municipality for rates and taxes in respect of those units. Following negotiations with the Buffalo City Municipality regarding this amount of debt, the department is awaiting a final council resolution on the matter. This route was embarked upon in order to safeguard the interests of the housing beneficiaries who are currently tenants in the units. Any other route such as liquidation would have jeopardized tenants' right of access to housing which is the constitutional and statutory obligation of the department. Liquidation is being considered as the last resort but the general observation is that it may still defeat the purpose of safeguarding the interests of housing beneficiaries by exposing the land and the housing units to a cumbersome process of liquidation with distribution and sale of assets as the end result.

(2) Neither KWTHA nor its directors have, according to my know1edge, received any housing-related contracts from the provincial department. The same has not been confirmed with other departments in the provincial department.

(3) Neither KWTHA nor any of its directors have been blacklisted as yet," as various recovery mechanisms are being explored. Blacklisting will also be considered. It should however be noted that K WTHA was a section 21 company that was set up by the Buffalo City municipality for purposes of developing Institutional Housing Stock.

QUESTION NO. 132

Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

What (a) statutory provisions, (b) regulations, (c) policy instrument and (d) practices govern the (i) classification, (ii) protection against the release or access, (iii) protection for other purposes such as preservation and (iv) release upon request for access of (aa) documented information and (bb) undocumented information held by (aaa) his department or (bbb) any other entities who received budgetary transfers from his department?

REPLY

As a member of the National Assembly, all the statutory provisions, regulations, policy instrument and practices govern the classification, protection against the release or access, protection for other purposes such as preservation and release upon request for access of documented information and undocumented information held by the department or any other entities who received budgetary transfers from the department are well known to you. Starting with the Constitution of the Republic, our department in its functions is governed by all these.

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2011-11-25

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