Parliament, Thursday, 10 October 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has concluded the second day of its week-long oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to assess provision of houses and it has underscored its concern about the quality of workmanship of some projects. The committee is of the view that monitoring and assessment of projects must be enhanced by both provincial and local governments to ensure the quality of final products.
“We are extremely disappointed with the quality of houses at the Qadi Rural Housing Projects in Maphumulo Local Municipality. Beneficiaries deserve the best, and what we have seen at the Qadi site is inappropriate and unacceptable,” said Mr Nocks Seabi, the Chairperson of the committee. The shortcomings are even more worrying considering that the Provincial Department of Human Settlements informed the committee that it has a quality assurance inspector that is tasked with monitoring the delivery of quality houses.
The committee has called for the KZN Department of Human Settlements to institute consequence management against officials in the quality assurance unit as there is a clear evidence of dereliction of duty on their part. Meanwhile, the committee contended that poor workmanship has a downstream effect of cost escalation as the National Home Builders Registration Council will not deem the structures compliant and corrective measures will have to be implemented.
“It is only fair for the provincial department to institute consequence management for the inability to identify deficiencies in the houses. It is unacceptable that beneficiaries, mostly poor and historically disadvantaged citizens are given substandard houses,” Mr Seabi said.
Also, the committee was concerned that the province cited lack of budget for its inability to install quality sanitation in the units. This was concerning for the committee especially because the area where the Qadi Rural Housing Project is being implemented has water which could be connected to the houses.
“The rationale to change the department from housing to human settlements was a realisation that the services provided should be inclusive of all necessary amenities. Providing only a house and not the necessary bulk services undermine the general mandate of the department,” Mr Seabi pointed out.
Despite this, the committee was highly impressed by the quality of houses at the Sihle Phakathi Informal Settlement Upgrade. The committee is of the view that the quality of the houses in KwaDukuza should be a benchmark set for quality in the province. “The quality of houses is testament to the hands-on approach of the municipality and the constant monitoring of the project. This is the standard we expect to be replicated across the board,” Mr Seabi emphasised.
Meanwhile, the committee has called for the standardisation of developed houses across the province. The committee found it surprising that some projects developed better products at lower subsidy quantum. “The province must facilitate information sharing sessions between municipalities, especially at project planning phase, to enable sharing of best practices and the delivery of standard quality houses,” Mr Seabi emphasised.
Also, the committee was unequivocal in its call for the appointment of contractors that have the capacity and knowledge to deliver projects. While the committee acknowledged the need for empowerment, it was quick to underscore the need for adequate support to emerging contractors to ensure that they deliver quality projects within set timelines and within budgets.
The committee will today visit the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to assess projects in the municipality. In the morning the committee will interact with the municipality and will receive an update on spending patterns of its Informal Settlements Upgrading Grand, the municipality’s experiences in accessing the Emergency Housing Fund and conversion of hostels into Community Residential Units.
Because of the value the committee places on public participation, it will, following site visits, interact with representatives of uTshani and Abahlali Basemjondolo as a means of getting first-hand lived experiences from residents on issues affecting them in relations to housing.
Details of the visit (Day 3)
Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Time: 09:00
Venue: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Details of the visit (Day 3)
Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Time: 18:00
Venue: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality Council Chambers
Agenda: Meeting with Utshani, Fedup and Abahlali BaseMjondolo
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, MR NOCKS SEABI.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
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