Parliament, Friday, 1 November 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements is disappointed to hear that despite various commitments made by the City of Tshwane, the North West Department of Human Settlements, the North West Housing Corporation, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements and the national Department of Human Settlements, no tangible progress has been made in resolving the challenges facing the Mabopane, Winterveld and Ga-Rankuwa petition.
The commitments were facilitated by the 6th Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements. The committee in the 7th Parliament is concerned about the lack of collaboration between the various spheres of government to resolve this old matter.
The petition relates to the actions of officials in the City of Tshwane and North West Housing Corporation who it is alleged committed maladministration by illegally selling and transferring the petitioners’ properties. Despite two investigations – one conducted by the City of Tshwane in 2014 and the other by the Public Protector in 2018 – the remedial actions have still not been implemented.
“It is disheartening that despite many promises, no tangible move can be shown. Furthermore, the fact that the matter has been ongoing for about 18 years points to a lack of empathy to assist the petitioners and resolve the matter,” said Mr Nocks Seabi, the Chairperson of the committee.
It is also concerning that despite a case being opened against the City of Tshwane officials for the illegal sales of the petitioners’ houses and an internal investigation conducted within the City, the City has not provided an update on the implementation of consequence management measures against the officials.
The committee was disappointed to hear that the petitioners and the City locked in a stalemate over the size of the houses offered by the City. The committee has resolved to invite three of the four petitioners to brief the committee to ascertain the reasons behind their rejection of the City’s offers and to find other solutions to clear the stalemate.
The committee has called for greater collaboration between the various spheres of government to ensure that this matter is speedily resolved. In addition, a commitment must be made that the parties will adhere to the new timelines to bring finality to the matter.
“To safeguard the dignity of the petitioners, all government departments must work together to find solutions to impediments in resolving the matter. Also, the national department must have a monitoring tool to address this long-standing matter. The committee expects periodic updates on progress on the matter,” Mr Seabi said.
The committee has resolved that this matter should be treated as a project, with clear project management and coordination. The committee has also urged that in six months the matter must be resolved.
Meanwhile, the committee has also underlined its frustrations that despite various engagements, there is no tangible progress in resolving the New Mandela Square 652 project in the Breede Valley Municipality in the Western Cape. The committee received an update on a petition received by the 6th Parliament committee concerning a lack of service delivery in the ward and top structures that have not yet been constructed.
The committee’s concerns centres around the lack of movement with regards to planning, finger-pointing, and the seeming inability by all three spheres of government to be accountable for their areas of responsibility. “It is unacceptable that despite the clear commitments made by all the responsible parties, no tangible action has been taken. The project commenced in 2008 but to this point no top structures have been built, which brings into question the planning processes between the parties,” said Mr Seabi.
Furthermore, the committee objected to the information that despite the municipality starting a beneficiary list process, giving hope to the residents that top structures will be built, progress seems to have stalled. The committee called on the province and the City to progress on decanting the site to ensure that the project can begin. “The province and the City must find solutions to the challenges and not continue highlighting problems and not provide solutions on the table,” Mr Seabi said.
The committee was also disappointed to hear that although the project started in 2008, the municipality has not begun the relocation strategy for New Mandela Square. It is also concerning that there is no project management capacity within the municipality, which puts the completion of the project at risk.
As a result, the committee has given a directive to be led by the Director-General that the matter should be treated like a project with clear timelines to ensure that people have a roofs over their heads.
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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