Parliament, Wednesday, 10 June 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has reiterated its concerns regarding the quality and reliability of data contained in the National Housing Needs Register (NHNR), warning that deficiencies in the system continue to undermine effective planning and housing delivery.
The committee raised these concerns during an engagement with the Department of Human Settlements on the register, as well as on informal settlements upgrading and relocation strategies.
“The NHNR is an important tool to ensure evidence-based planning by municipalities and provinces, improve beneficiary management, and promote transparency and fairness. These important pillars are undermined if the data quality and reliability is questionable,” said the Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Nocks Seabi.
The committee expressed concern about the absence of a standardised data-capturing tool to ensure consistency across municipalities and provinces. According to the committee, inconsistent data collection practices reduce the usefulness of the register and weaken its effectiveness as a planning instrument.
Members also highlighted concerns about the large number of unverified and ineligible applicants on the register, including duplicate entries and individuals whose incomes have exceeded the qualifying subsidy threshold. The committee noted that these inaccuracies inflate housing backlog figures and complicate planning and resource allocation.
The committee further reiterated concerns about the provinces’ inconsistent use of the register. During previous briefings on the department and its entities’ 2024/25 audit outcomes, the Office of the Auditor-General identified varying approaches to housing needs assessments, with some provinces relying on waiting lists, community engagements and council-generated lists rather than the register.
The committee warned that such inconsistencies expose beneficiary management systems to fraud and corruption and emphasised the need for a fully automated and integrated beneficiary management system to ensure a fair, transparent and accountable process from needs identification through to housing allocation.
Despite these concerns, the committee welcomed assurances that the Department of Human Settlements and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) are at an advanced stage of developing digital platforms aimed at addressing current challenges. The committee committed to scheduling a follow-up briefing to receive progress updates on the initiative.
The committee also raised concerns about the misalignment between the register and the Housing Subsidy System (HSS). While approximately four million individuals are registered on the NHNR, only 523 483 applicants have been approved through the HSS. “The large gap between those registered and those approved amplifies the urgent need to strengthen beneficiary verification processes and improve alignment between the NHNR and HSS. This also makes clear the need to improve throughput to ensure conversion of registered demand into actual housing opportunities,” Mr Seabi said.
On informal settlements upgrading and relocation strategies, the committee welcomed the broad policy reforms and interventions being implemented by the department. However, it stressed the importance of strengthening engagement with affected communities to ensure better understanding of processes, timelines and constraints.
The committee noted that communities should be adequately informed about challenges such as the availability of suitable land and geotechnical conditions that may delay projects.
“Improving community engagement will ensure that projects are timeously started and completed. In cases where there are challenges with soil quality, communities must be engaged and informed to enable a speedy turnaround of the upgrading process,” Mr Seabi concluded.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, MR NOCKS SEABI.
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