Chairperson, hon Minister of Human Settlements, hon Minister of Public Works, hon NCOP members, hon MECs from different provinces and distinguished guests, during 2009 the Minister made promises to communities all over South Africa to create sustainable communities with better housing and better living conditions for all. The DA is afraid that nothing has changed since then. How can anyone expect changes if government is not willing to see that policies regarding human settlements are implemented?
Agb Minister, het dit nie tyd geword om die bul by die horings te pak en toe te sien dat verantwoordbare amptenare in poste van kritieke belang aangestel word sodat beloftes in dade omskep kan word nie? Ek wil vir u bedank vir dit wat u ook vandag ges het, agb Minister, dat daar ook in hierdie jaar meer huise gebou gaan word, veral in ons verafgele gebiede op die platteland.
Daar moet ernstig gekyk word na dissipline in u departement. Alle provinsies was veronderstel om 'n besigheidsplan aan u departement te voorsien vir behuising wat in die volgende drie tot vier jaar gebou en tot stand gebring moet word. Ongelukkig het vier van die nege provinsies nie daarop gereageer nie en is hulle behuisingsplanne, asook hulle begrotings, nie ingedien nie. Die DA wil weet wat u daaromtrent gaan doen, agb Minister. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Minister, has the time not come to take the bull by the horns to ensure that accountable officials are appointed in posts of critical importance in order to transform promises into actions? I also want to thank you, hon Minister, for what you said today, that more houses are going to be built this year, especially in our remote, rural areas.
Serious attention must be paid to the issue of discipline in your department. All the provinces were supposed to provide your department with a business plan for housing over the next three to four years. Unfortunately, four of the nine provinces did not respond to that request and did not submit their housing plans and budgets. The DA wants to know what you are going to do about that, hon Minister.]
The other related concern is the fact that most of the priorities of the business plans that have been submitted are not in line with priorities set by the national department.
Met die Nasionale Raad van Provinsies se besoek aan Limpopo gedurende Maart was dit skokkend om te sien en te hoor van gemeenskappe waar daar geen of weinig hulp van die staat is ten opsigte van behuising in hierdie gebiede nie. In Burgersfort waar baie mynbedrywighede aan die gang is, vind daar onderlinge struwelinge plaas tussen die myn en gemeenskapslede. Die bewering word gemaak dat die myne nie hulle hulp met die beplanning en lewering van infrastruktuur aan die gemeenskappe bied nie. Die plaaslike owerhede, wie eintlik die verantwoordelikheid moet dra om dienste te lewer, staan op die kantlyn en geniet die gevegte tussen die myn en die gemeenskap. Sodoende word daar geen noodsaaklike dienste deur plaaslike owerhede gelewer nie, wat direk neerkom op algemene pligsversuim en swak bestuur.
In die Noordwes Provinsie, waar ek vandaan kom, is daar by ongeveer 26 bouprojekte gestop met die bou van huise, as gevolg van ernstige wanbestuur en korrupsie deur plaaslike bestuur en owerhede. In Vryburg is R216 miljoen bewillig vir behuising. Na 'n verloop van een jaar is slegs vier huise voltooi en die ander is half voltooi. Daar kan tans van R27 miljoen geen rekenskap gegee word deur die kontrakteurs wat met hierdie behuisingsprojekte besig is nie. In Koster staan daar 25 tot 30 Hop-huise wat die afgelope vyf jaar nog nie voltooi is nie. Die kontrakteurs het hul betaling ontvang en het verdwyn.
Die algehele toestand rakende behuising in die Noordwes Provinsie is beroerd, as gevolg van tenderbedrog wat plaasvind en openbare verteenwoordigers wat betrokke is by bouprojekte, wat 'n konflik van belange is. Substandaard werk word gelewer; minder sement word byvoorbeeld gebruik; en huise kraak, bars en val uitmekaar. Daar is 'n algehele gebrek aan kontrolebeheer. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[When the National Council of Provinces paid a visit to Limpopo during March, it was shocking to see and to hear of communities where the state rendered either zero or very little assistance with regard to housing in these areas. In Burgersfort where many mining operations are taking place, there seems to be disputes between the mine and the community. The allegation was made that the mines are not helping with the planning and delivering of infrastructure to the communities. The local authorities, who are actually responsible for service delivery, are standing on the side- line and enjoying the battles between the mine and the community. Therefore they are not delivering any essential services, which actually amounts to a dereliction of duty and poor planning. In the North West province, where I come from, they stopped building houses after the completion of approximately 26 building projects due to serious mismanagement and corruption by local government and authorities. In Vryburg an amount of R216 million had been allocated to housing. A year later only four houses were finished and the others are still half- finished. Currently the contractors who are busy with these housing projects cannot account for R27 million of that allocation. In Koster there are 25 to 30 RDP houses that which have not been completed over the past five years. The contractors received their remuneration and then they disappeared.
The overall situation with regard to housing in the North West Province is appalling, due to tender fraud that took place and public representatives who are involved with housing projects, which is a conflict of interest. Substandard work is delivered, not enough cement is used, and the houses are developing cracks, fissures and are falling apart. There is an overall lack of quality control.]
The DA asks for a serious investigation into the activities of the acting chief executive officer of the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, regarding the contract of 1 431 Reconstruction and Development houses at an estimated cost of R78 million. We need strong political leadership with integrity in the Department of Public Works, who will send a strong message to the senior management of the department and who will demand responsibility that will lead to effective administration and quality services to the people of South Africa.
In die Noordwes Provinsie is daar talle geboue wat onvoltooid en onbenut staan wat die belastingbetaler miljoene rand uit die sak jaag. Schweizer- Reneke se halfgeboude hofgebou is 'n seer oog vir die gemeenskap wat nou vir etlike jare onvoltooid en onbenut staan. In Moses Kotane is 'n halfgeboude munisipale gebou. Miljoene rand is spandeer, en die gebou het nie eens 'n dak op nie. In Klerksdorp staan 'n halfgeboude musiekskool wat dreig om toegemaak te word, as gevolg van sy onvoltooidheid. In Merafong City in Gauteng staan 'n opgegradeerde polisiestasie onbenut en verwaarloos, as gevolg van swak beplanning en word nou deur vandale geplunder en verwoes.
Die DA wil weet hoe die regering kan toelaat dat miljoene rand so vermors word en hoe die Departement van Openbare Werke nie tot verantwoording geroep kan word deur die agb Minister nie. 'n Dringende versoek word tot die Minister gerig dat bogenoemde strukture wat 'n begroting gehad het, wat goedgekeur is en waar projekte nie voltooi is nie dringend ondersoek moet word en dat verslag gelewer moet word oor wat van die fondse geword het. Die provinsies het onderpresteer en moet tot verantwoording geroep word deur die departement en die agb Minister.
Ten slotte, die DA wil die Minister gelukwens met sy besluit om van afgetrede professionele persone se dienste gebruik te maak waar leemtes ontstaan het in die departement. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In the North West province there are many buildings that are unfinished and unused and costing the taxpayer millions of rand. The court building in Schweizer-Reneke is an eyesore for the community, because it has been left unfinished and unused for many years. In Moses Kotane there is a half- finished municipal building. Millions of rand has been spent and the building doesn't even have a roof. In Klerksdorp there is a half-finished music school that is threatened with closure, because it is half-finished. In Merafong City in Gauteng, an upgraded police station is unused and neglected, due to poor planning and now it is being ransacked and destroyed by vandals.
The DA wants to know how the government can allow millions of rand to be wasted like that and how the Department of Public Works cannot be called to account by the hon Minister. An urgent request is made to the Minister that abovementioned structures that had a budget, that had been approved, but where projects have not been completed, must be seriously investigated and that a report must be compiled about what became of the funds. The provinces underperformed and must be held accountable by the department and the hon Minister.
In closing, the DA wants to congratulate the Minister on his decision to make use of the services of retired professional people where deficiencies developed in the department. I thank you. [Applause.]]