The South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC), is now number one in the world in the delivery of houses to needy people although there are still millions of South Africans who still live in appalling conditions, that was what the Minister of Human Settlements, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, told Members of the National Assembly (NA) when she delivered the Budget Vote speech of the Department of Human Settlements at Parliament today.
Ms Sisulu said there is a lot in the area of housing delivery which the government has done, but according to her, there is more than what is seen that must still be done. She said in all their actions as the department, they are igniting a dying hope and rekindling it to stay alive. “We are committed as the department to the dignified settlement of all South Africans,” said Ms Sisulu.
Ms Sisulu told the NA MPs that the improvement of service delivery of houses is the responsibility of all South Africans and calls for the constructive participation of all the role-players, including the people. “We need to empower the people to understand that their constructive participation will assist in the acceleration of housing delivery,” said Ms Sisulu.
According to Ms Sisulu, the department delivers 1 200 houses a day and that can be improved. Ms Sisulu told the NA MPs about the fact that the department is prioritising the problem of the delay of the issuing of title deeds to the beneficiaries and assured NA MPs about the commitment of the department to accelerate the issuing of title deeds to beneficiaries.
The 2017/18 Budget Vote for the Department of Human Settlements is R33.4bn, which according to Ms Sisulu, has increased. There will be transfers from that allocation to among other places, the Provinces, Metropolitan Municipalities and entities.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Ms Nocawe Mafu, supported the Budget Vote on behalf of the Committee. Supporting the Budget Vote, Ms Mafu said the Constitution places the obligation of the responsibility of the provision of houses to the state and on top of that, the National Development Plan (NDP) indicates clear housing targets for the delivery of houses.
Ms Mafu told the NA MPs that her Committee is happy with the Strategic and Annual Performance Plans of the department. She said looking at these plans against housing delivery targets that are enshrined in the NDP; certainty is guaranteed for the achievement of those targets.
Ms Mafu expressed the frustration of the Committee on the problem of the underspending of the government grants that are made available by the government for the provision of houses to the people by the metropolitan municipalities (metros). She said the metros underspend though they are faced with violent protests demanding the delivery of houses.
By Mava Lukani
18 May 2017
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