Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela to oversee municipal human settlement delivery

26 Jan 2012

Human Settlements Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela will visit several municipalities from 30 Jan 2012 until 4 Feb 2012 to ensure the accelerated delivery of housing opportunities to the people who most need them, with a strategic focus on the provision of basic services.

Minister Madikizela is very concerned about the slow pace of housing delivery at the municipal level, and is committed to visiting and working with the municipalities to ensure effective delivery in this regard. The  municipalities to be visited are Oudsthoorn, Bitou, George, Mossel Bay, Swartland, Breede Valley, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch.

The Department is on track to spend 100 % of its budget of R1.638bn by the end of this financial year, or March 2012, and has approved and allocated funding to municipalities to implement their housing plans. The Department has a target of delivering 12 652 houses, and is on track to deliver 12 050, or 95% of the houses. However, it also has a target of delivering 13 059 serviced sites, yet with the current rate of delivery, only 8 555 sites will be completed.

Housing delivery is interdependent on efficient and well-functioning municipalities, who submit their housing plans to the provincial government for approval and funding, and upon approval, are expected to implement their housing plans with immediate effect. The Department has an oversight role to ensure that the sites and houses are delivered, whereas local government, or municipalities, are responsible for the on-the-ground work.

Reasons for lack of housing delivery at a municipal level include lack of professional capacity, and poor forward planning of housing needs. The Department, under the leadership of Minister Madikizela,  has recently created Professional Resource Teams, consisting of professional personnel, to assist municipalities in the planning and technical aspects of housing delivery. The Department is also placing a greater emphasis on project pipelines, so that if any housing projects become blocked or stalled, there are back-up projects ready to go. These interventions will ensure the accelerated delivery of housing opportunities.

It is expected that through Ministerial intervention, housing  delivery can be accelerated and the targets can be met. Minister Madikizela will be accompanied by high level Departmental officials to offer the necessary support to affected municipalities.

For media enquiries:

Bruce Oom
Spokesman for Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela
Human Settlements, Provincial Government of the Western Cape
Cell : 072 4655 177
Tel: 021 483 6622
Fax: 021 483 3888

Issued by: Western Cape Human Settlements 
26 Jan 2012

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