Parliament, Monday, 29 August 2022 – The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlement has concluded the Limpopo leg of public hearings on the Housing Consumer Protection Bill. During the public hearing, most participants were critical of the poor quality of RDP houses, which they say start falling apart within the first three years. The overwhelming majority of participants supported the Bill, saying they expect it to play a critical role in preventing shoddy housing construction.
In all three hearings, people complained about construction defects, from leaking roofs to floor tiling that poses a risk to occupants. They called for legislation to rectify these defects.
Participants were particularly in favour of the training provision included in the Bill, which they hope will capacitate builders to build durable houses of good quality. They also believe the training will help small and medium businesses and enable them to compete for larger contracts. There was also a strong belief that due to a lack of capacity in rural areas, the government has been forced to import skilled contractors from urban areas. This negatively affects local economic development and beneficiation.
Despite support for the Bill, there was concern that the R1 million sanction or penalty proposed by the Bill will be detrimental to small businesses, especially in rural areas, as they make little or no income. Although there was an appreciation that this provision was merely a deterrent, there was nonetheless concern of unintended consequences.
Monitoring and evaluation was highlighted as a critical factor that must be enhanced in the Bill, especially to curb corruption within the inspection environment in the industry. The lack of skilled inspectors, especially in rural areas, was underscored as a risk factor that will undermine the effective implementation of the Bill. There was a call to improve the visibility of inspectors from the Department of Human Settlements and the National Home Builders Registration Council.
To ensure that the Bill is effective, public hearing participants called for consumer education to ensure that the general public is aware of the provisions of the Bill, the benefits they can derive from the Bill such as the process to access the warranty fund, as well as associated acts within the industry. Some participants also called for the Warranty Fund to be extended from five years to 10 years, to ensure that houses are protected for longer.
A strong call was made for the Bill to set the standard for building materials in general to ensure that cheap and defective materials are excluded from the market. There was also a call for town planners to be involved, especially in planning in rural areas, where there are no formal requirements. In addition, there was a call to remedy the current silence in the Bill on the role of traditional leadership and tribal land.
The committee will in the next two weeks move to Mpumalanga to continue the nationwide hearings.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, MS MACHWENE SEMENYA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
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