Chairperson, as a prefix to what I am going to say; I am just going to raise one issue with hon Steyn. Hon Steyn, your party has never presented any better policy than the ANC's. Our engagement as Members of Parliament should be based on policies rather than ambush politics.
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members and hon presiding officer, we are participating in this Budget Vote fully aware of our responsibility. As Members of Parliament, we contribute to the nation's effort to build a nonracial, nonsexist, united, democratic and prosperous society.
Mrs Njobe, this is very important: in 1955, during the adoption of the Freedom Charter, the Congress of the People clearly stated that, and I quote:
There shall be houses, security and comfort. All people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security. Unused housing space shall be made available to the people. Rent and prices shall be lowered. Slums shall be demolished, and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crches and social grants.
With this in mind, the people of our country continue to have confidence in their movement, the ANC, trusting that it will do its best to improve the quality of life of all South Africans, irrespective of race, colour or creed. Hence the ANC considers the provision of houses as a basic need.
Therefore, as a result, the Department of Human Settlements has embarked on a radical change to change the tide in housing delivery in our country. According to data from the department, 2,7 million houses have been built in South Africa over the last 14 years, giving shelter to over 10 million people, a quantity of housing provision unprecedented in our history.
This success has been the work of the ANC and government, forging partnerships with the private sector, as well as looking at other avenues to help in the development of housing projects. This is in accordance with the Human Settlements Vision 2030, which is about speeding up the development of sustainable human settlements for all South Africans, based on the provision of our supreme law.
However, notwithstanding the unprecedented success of the delivery of housing post 1994, South Africa marked the beginning of an unprecedented demand for houses as more people moved to urban areas in search of new economic opportunities which are being created by the democratic order. This resulted in the mushrooming of over 2 700 informal settlements throughout our country, with a rough projection of housing delivery for 2010-14 estimated at 230 000 per year. However, this indicates the greater need for increased housing, despite our good delivery record.
To build on the unprecedented success in housing delivery, the ANC has adopted an integrated housing programme for the next decade, in which it will aim to work towards building a united, nonracial and integrated community across our towns and cities. Work has been ongoing to ensure that new settlements are nonracial and that they involve the creation of mixed- income communities. Our programmes of public transport infrastructure are helping to transform our cities and towns so that they can contribute to the ending of apartheid spatial development. As a result thereof, today we are witnessing the realisation of our objective of ensuring that people who earn between R2 500 and R7 000 are provided with appropriate accommodation closer to work opportunities. This is evident in the rejuvenation of Kempton Park, as the hon Minister has indicated. Cape Town's social housing government programme to provide affordable accommodation in cities, as well as housing projects for people to live in places closer to work and other amenities in Tshwane, Johannesburg and other parts of our country is also evident.
The development of integrated human settlements is a critical element in our fight against poverty and improving the quality of life of our people. Therefore, for the ANC government to be able to speed up the delivery of houses requires new areas of funding. Both the public and private sectors should be explored to provide a sustained fiscal injection over the long term to address the housing backlog and growth in informal settlements.
There is a need for continual government engagement with the private financial sector to facilitate its transformation and diversification, including the development of co-operative financial institutions, as well as ensuring that the sector contributes to the investment and development goals of our country. Therefore, this raises the need for urgently revising the current funding model, as well as technical and programmatic options to produce the desired impact of increased human settlement delivery. State-owned enterprises and development financial institutions or bodies need to play important roles in achieving the goal of a better life for all. These institutions must have a clear and concise developmental mandate.
The ANC and its government will move towards a serviced-sites mode of delivery, so as to encourage people to build their own houses in the form of the Peoples' Housing Project. This can stimulate local economic development and result in better quality homes. The ANC government is assisting people with building materials to encourage their involvement in the provision of housing needs, more so in rural areas.
An affordable rental housing strategy has been approved.
Already the ANC government has made strides in making sure that funding is made available for the realisation of a united, non-racial, integrated community across our cities and towns through the following undertaking: the President announced a R1 billion guarantee fund to assist prospective home owners earning between R3 500 and R9 000 to access home loans. The Rural Housing Loan Fund continues to provide financial opportunities to rural families. The rural subsidy voucher scheme was finalised. In conclusion, if we do things differently we can realise our vision of a united, nonracial community for everyone. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, I just want to remind the hon member from the IFP that most of the houses he was talking about that we are rebuilding and renovating were built under uMjali, the IFP government. [Applause.] [Laughter.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Members of Parliament, chairperson of the committee, hon member Dambuza, distinguished guests, and my son, Aphiwe and his colleague, it gives me great pleasure to have this opportunity to take part in this important Budget Vote. Allow me to thank all those who are unable to be with us but will follow this debate onscreen. May I also welcome team Human Settlements, led by director-general Thabane Zulu, as well as the chairpersons and CEOs of housing institutions. This list will not be complete if I did not include Richard Dyantyi, the Minister's adviser, chief of staff Meloney van Eck and head of office Bheki Nkonyane.
This month is Heroes' Month, a reminder of those who laid down their lives so that South Africa could be free. On 6 April 1979, Kalushi Solomon Mahlangu, on his way to the gallows, uttered these words: "Mama, don't cry. Tell my people I love them and that my blood shall nourish the tree that shall bear the fruits of freedom." Fellow South Africans, we all have the obligation of making sure that these words of wisdom and bravery were not in vain.
On 10 April 1993, Comrade Chris Hani was brutally murdered. In memory of these heroes and many others, we will continue to redouble our efforts in the provision of shelter to the most vulnerable sector in our society. Let all stakeholders roll up their sleeves and work together. Access to housing is indeed a universal right. The role of housing in changing the lives of our people for the better cannot be underestimated.
On the issue of slum upgrading, noting what the Minister said, there are 2 700 slums across the country, with an estimated 1,5 million people staying in these poor settlements, some without access to water, sanitation or other socio-economic infrastructure required to improve their lives. Hence the government's target is to upgrade 400 000 of these by 2014. It is our belief that access to basic services is vital to sustainable development.
What we want to bring to the attention of our nation is that slum upgrading will be twofold. We will upgrade informal settlements that are on well- located land, particularly those in the inner city and towns where the land is suitable for upgrading. But those that are located in low-lying areas, such as river banks and dolomatic land, are not suitable for upgrading. If we do upgrade these areas, it will be a waste of government resources, because we will be subjected to litigation. These areas are a health hazard and a recipe for disaster. In these instances, there will be a need to identify land for resettlement, in consultation or working hand in hand with affected communities.
The upgrading of informal settlements is high on the agenda because it is not possible to build houses for everyone at the same time. This is because the demand for housing is very high and the resources are limited. What is of paramount importance is expanding our basic service provision to ensure that water, sanitation and electricity reach each and every doorstep in all our communities. There is a need to create roads in informal settlements, so that services such as fire brigades and ambulances can have free access.
Also high on our agenda is refuse removal. Communities must begin to work out a plan for taking the responsibility to clean their areas. Neighbourhoods must instil a value system of pride in our people. It is not right for us to build beautiful houses where there is dirt. The slum upgrading process can be turned into opportunities that would benefit many unemployed people. Positive programmes could be an opportunity for job creation for the youth, women and the unemployed, as this process will need plumbers, artisans, project managers, community liaison officers, contractors, et cetera.
I am proud to say that the ground work in this regard has been done by our department, through the NURSP programme. I believe that we are ready to roll out this programme. We are aware that a number of pilot projects, as the Minister has said, are already under way. Our collaboration with the Cities Alliance will assist our smooth co-operation with municipalities and the SA Local Government Association, Salga. Our department has engaged with provinces and municipalities on this matter, and the budget we are tabling here today reflects that constructive engagement.
With regard to quality products, our motto is zero tolerance towards bad workmanship, such as shoddy work. We believe that there is a need for strong project management with which we can ensure that we avoid or minimise this tendency. Provinces and municipalities need to take the issue of inspectorates seriously. There are inspectors in provinces and in municipalities. To crown it all, it's important that the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, is informed at the foundation level, so that inspectors oversee the entire term of the project. At national level, we have a monitoring and evaluation unit that needs to work in tandem with these structures.
Contractors that continue to build us shoddy houses must remember that they are playing with their future in the building environment. Good workmanship means that you have a good CV within this unique environment.
Ndifun' ukuthi abantu mabakhe izindlu ngokwabo besebenzisa i-People's Housing Process, PHP. Xa sisakha sisebenzisa le nkqubo, sakha izindlu ezinkulu nezintle. Silisebe besinocweyo lwesizwe lwe-PHP apho senze ukuba wonke umntu aqonde ukuba isebe liyayixhasa i-PHP, kwaye simisele i-PHP eyongezelelweyo eMpumalanga. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[I want to say that people must build houses for themselves through the People's Housing Process, PHP. When we build through this project, we build big and beautiful houses. We, as the department, held a national PHP workshop in which we made sure that everybody knows that the department supports PHP and we have launched an expanded PHP in Mpumalanga.]
The report of the workshop was reported to Ministers and Members of the Executive Council, Minmec, and we have agreed that 15% of the budget from the provinces must be set aside for PHP purposes.
On international relations, I just want to say that as Human Settlements, we still have a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with the Netherlands, and there's visible participation by us, South Africa, in the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development, Amchud, because we are part of the ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Ministers present, hon members, comrades and distinguished guests, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, of the ANC and of government positions human settlements as a key to achieving two strategic objectives: firstly, the expansion of social and economic infrastructure; secondly, building cohesive and caring sustainable communities.
The shift in focus from housing to human settlements was due to the realisation that housing is not just about building shelters. Instead, it is about economic growth and social development of people and the quality of their existence, which must result in sustainable development. The Breaking New Ground programme is regarded as a response to this challenge.
The ANC is paying attention to key policy development focusing on particular areas. These areas are informal settlement upgrading, integrated residential development, rural and social housing and focus on the development needs of an entire community and area.
Among the challenges that have been addressed in this approach are inadequate planning and the lack of co-ordination and integration of different government functions. A further challenge is the building of social cohesion and spatial capital. To a large extent housing delivery still negates the role of civil society and the citizens themselves, therefore undermining social capital and building dependency on the state while burdening the state and compromising its delivery capacity.
Sihlalo, inkomfa kaKhongolose yamashumi amahlanu nambili yavumelana ngokuthi kufanele kube nomthetho ozophasiswa yileli Phalamende ozovimbela ukuqhibuka kwamakhowe ezindawo ezingahlelelwe imijondolo noma imikhukhu. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, the 52nd Conference of the ANC resolved that there must be a law passed by this Parliament to prohibit the mushrooming of places where shacks are illegally erected.]
Furthermore, it called for a centralised approach to planning to be adopted so as to direct resource allocation, distribution and an overall co- ordinated response to human settlements. It called upon government to consider assisting people with building material, so as to encourage the involvement of people in addressing in a practical manner the provision of housing, to address backlogs and respond to the growth in informal settlements.
Progress in implementing this resolution has seen a central planning framework being developed to direct resource allocation for housing. In addition, the Housing Development Agency, HAD, is accelerating land acquisition in specific and targeted areas. After engagement with the private sector on their commitment, the Department of Human Settlement received R4,5 billion from the private sector through the Housing Charter Agreement. At our National General Council in September 2010, we evaluated our progress and resolutions since our 52nd National Conference.
SiwuKhongolose sikubhekile saphawula ukuthi zingaphezu kwezigidi ezintathu izindlu ezakhiwe kusukela ngonyaka we-1994. Sikubonile futhi sabona ukuthi kuyimpumelelo enkulu kakhulu lokho. [As the ANC, we evaluated our progress and noted that more than three million houses have been built since 1994. We noted this and realised that this is a huge achievement.]
Africa still has over 2 700 informal settlements. The pace of housing delivery for the period 2010 to 2014 is estimated at 230 000 per annum.
Inkinga enkulu iba ekutheni liphezulu kakhulu izinga lokusuka kwabantu ezindaweni zabo, baye ezindaweni lapho bangathola khona amathuba amahle emisebenzi. Yilokho-ke okwenza kube nesidingo sokuthi sikhuphule izinga noma sandise isibalo sezindlu sibe ngaphezu kwalezi esesizakhile kumanje nje. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[The major problem is that there is a huge influx of people from their home towns to places where they might get better job opportunities. That is why there is a need to build even more houses than the ones that we have built already.] Chairperson, our 52nd National Conference resolved that shelter provision on its own was not enough and that a more holistic approach to human settlement must guide government's housing programme. The challenge we face is that litigation still prevents the introduction of legislation to constrain informal settlement.
There is an urgent need to revise the current funding model, as well as technical and programmatic options so as to produce the desired impact of increased human settlement delivery. In addition, there is a need to revisit the centrality of the state in human settlements delivery. In considering the centrality of the state, there is a need to reconsider the human settlement mandate and its alignment in terms of powers, policy development and funding-related responsibilities.
Sihlalo kufanele kube khona imizamo emisha yokunciphisa indlela yokuhlala njengoba sazi ukuthi uhulumeni wobandlululo...[Isikhathi sesiphelile.] Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] [Chairperson there must be new attempts to reduce the way in which accommodation is provided as we know that the apartheid government ... Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]
Chairperson, I want to agree with the committee Chairperson's interpretation that a house is a family asset from one generation to another. But is that the reality on the ground? I cannot disagree with the Chairperson that there is a glaring lack of synchronisation between provinces and municipalities. Now, to deliver on the promise is a mammoth task in view of the fact that the forensic investigation into the Durban Metro has produced shocking, earth-shattering news.
In the last provincial debate, the MEC for Human Settlements said that 80% of the houses examined had to be demolished, and it is costing about R1,8 billion. Can this country afford this? The MEC took the NHBRC to Woodhurst and there was chaos. The MF calls for a thorough investigation of EThekwini, and especially Phoenix, where a contractor who has no experience is given a housing tender and has been given carte blanche and is utilising these properties for commercial purposes.
This won't add value to delivering good homes. There must be an independent investigation into this. The Special Investigation Unit needs to be given permission to investigate housing in KwaZulu-Natal and also in the Durban Metro and other neighbouring municipalities, such as Msunduzi, Umdoni and eMzinto. The only area where housing is delivered is in the area of fraud, corruption and irregularities. There is an absolute crisis. The same people are getting tenders and people continue to live in temporary houses for over five years. The MEC's visit to eMzinto was a futile exercise. People living in flats have been waiting for the transfer of their homes for the past 26 years. This is really a disgrace.
The R1,8 billion spent on shoddy workmanship will take the housing budget backwards by 10 years. The further R280 million surrendered by National Treasury is an absolute disgrace. Our people continue to wait in queues for homes, yet monies are returned. Our people continue to live in shacks in informal settlements under difficult circumstances. Those contractors that are found guilty of fraud must be thrown in jail. What has gone wrong? What happened to Black Economic Empowerment, BEE? Has it gone with the wind? Housing is a major issue - rural families still live in mud houses. I want to ... The MF will support the budget. [Time expired.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, the present South African government has identified the need to introduce rural housing programmes and to ensure access to housing opportunities as a means to address the imbalances of the past. There is a specific emphasis on the right of everyone to have access to adequate housing as a fundamental human right in terms of the Constitution. The state's responsibility is to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.
Farmworker housing has been neglected in South Africa in the past. The farmworker housing policy tabled in 2004 specifically targets the constraints that have been hampering housing delivery in rural and farm areas. There is a need to upgrade the living conditions of people on farms where they are currently living, in order to ensure the right to adequate shelter, as envisioned by the Constitution. A comprehensive plan has been developed by the government that will bring about improved living conditions for people who live in rural communities. Efforts made since the dawn of democracy in 1994 have been geared towards ameliorating the negative consequences of economic, social and political exclusion and the marginalisation of the rural dwellers.
Siyabonga Ndvuna kutsi siyambona khongolose usachubeka usatibophelele ngekutsi akhele bantfu bakitsi emaphandleni tindlu, abakhele lapho bahlala khona. Futsi siyakubonga kutsi uyabakhela netindlu tangasese, ngisho nemithoyi lebenta kutsi bayisebentise ngesizotsa, kunekutsi abakhele tindlu tangasese letivulekile njengaleti lesitibonile emaMakhaza. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[We thank you, Minister, that we can see the ANC is still committed to building houses for our people in the rural areas, where they stay. We thank you again that you are building them toilets, I am referring to toilets that they may use with dignity, rather than building open toilets like the ones we saw in Makhaza.]
Firstly, the creation of sustainable livelihoods and decent work in rural areas largely, but not solely, within agriculture will bring about improved living conditions. In this context, the land reform programme should be intensified in ways that ensure more land in the hands of the rural poor, together with the skills, financial resources and organisations, especially cooperatives needed for them to use it productively. Secondly, the improvement of government services, especially education, health, human settlements and sanitation, will bring improved living conditions. Third is the introduction of measures to improve conditions for farmworkers, both by improving their security of tenure, housing and living conditions and supporting their organisations, including unions. These led to the introduction of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, with a clear vision of creating vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities and food security for all.
Our President, in his state of the nation address, emphasised the creation of jobs for all South Africans, including people in the rural areas, as a key priority. The rural job creation and skills development model is intended to provide stability and skills to the rural households. This can be achieved through the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme.
Ngekubambisana kwematiko ahulumende ekuphuculeni nekuletsa imphucuko etindzaw eni tasemakhaya,bantfu bakitsi batawutfola imisebenti futsi bacecesheke ngemakhono ekwenta imisebenti njengekwakha tindlu, imigwaco kanye nekunakekela imvelo. Nekuba netingandze emakhaya lapho batawukhona kutjala khona imifino kute baphile imphilo lencono. Ematfuba emisebenti etindzaweni tasemakhaya atawunciphisa kuhamba kwebantfu bakitsi baye emadolobheni. Loko Ndvuna kutawunciphisa nalesiminyaminya semikhukhu etindzaweni tasemadolobheni. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[Working in collaboration with government departments in improving and bringing civilization to rural areas, our people are going to get jobs like building houses, roads and in nature conservation. They will also have gardens at their homes to plant vegetables so that they live a better life. Job opportunities in rural areas will reduce migration of our people to urban areas. Minister, that will also reduce the shack congestion in urban areas.]
The Rural Housing Loan Fund, established by the Cabinet in 1996, continues to be the champion of the rural working poor to incrementally improve their housing and living conditions. The fund will empower people in rural areas to maximise their housing choices. It will also improve their living conditions with access to housing finance from sustainable retail lenders and access to a government subsidy, through the Individual Rural Housing Subsidy Voucher Programme.
The Rural Housing Loan Fund remains true to its mission, in spite of the challenging microfinance environment. The Rural Housing Loan Fund has been able to support housing delivery by facilitating finance through intermediaries for the working poor who want to improve their living conditions in nonmetropolitan areas, including the deep rural areas of South Africa. The loan also means the provision of loans for improving traditional houses in communal land. It will support the building of new, quality houses, especially rural gap-market houses, and will enable access to services, water, energy and sanitation.
In conclusion, more of our people in rural areas have access to a secure place to live in than they had before 1994. All in all, rural human settlements have improved, they enjoy better access to land, more secure tenure, and more people are in the formal housing structure, with better access to water, electricity and sanitation.
Tonkhe letintfo leti Ndvuna,kungumphumela wahulumende welubandlululo. Hulumende we-ANC ngete akhona kukugucula loko ngekuphatima kweliso. Kodvwa ngekuniketwa sikhatsi bantfu bakitsi utawukhona kugucula timphilo tebantfu atente tibe ncono. Ngiyabonga. [Lihlombe.] (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[All of these things, Minister, are consequences of the apartheid government. The ANC government cannot be able to change them within a short time. If it is given time by our people it will be able to change people's lives for the better. I thank you. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, hon members, Minister, Deputy Minister and guests, as the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements we visited six provinces as part of our oversight to find out the reality of service delivery on the ground, or perhaps the lack thereof.
In Khayelitsha, I had the experience of wrapping myself in a blanket and sitting on a toilet in full view of the crowd. Afterwards, I wished that I had asked the hon Steyn to take a photograph of this event. I might have made a small fortune selling it to the DA to use in their election campaign. They could have interspersed the pictures of the golden girls with ones of me sitting on the toilet, wrapped in the blanket, with the slogan: This is how we deliver to all. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
In all seriousness, it really was a humiliating experience. But I want to say that on other visits that we made, and looking at the toilet situation, we found in all the provinces that toilets were overflowing, sewage leaking out of the pipes, flush toilets with no water to flush and broken toilet bowls. It is a sad indictment of some of our delivery ...
I request the member from this side of the House to stop screaming across the floor, please.
Chairperson, I hope my time is being adjusted. In a number of forewords, Minister Sexwale has written, and I quote:
All people have the right to live where they choose, to be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security. Slums shall be demolished and new suburbs built where all shall have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crches and social centres.
He envisaged integrated human settlements where people will have quality of household life. Mixed residential communities will have schools, clinics, sporting facilities, playing fields, shopping centres and economic opportunities. This would give effect to the Breaking New Ground policy, launched in 1994.
President Zuma has set challenging and exciting goals for government to achieve, which includes, among others, the upgrading of 400 000 units in informal settlements, providing 80 000 affordable social and rental housing units and improving housing finance opportunities for 600 000 households for people earning between R3 500 and R12 800.
The point I want to make is that none of this can happen without suitable bulk infrastructure, and the Minister has alluded to this already. Without roads, water, sanitation and electricity we cannot build houses, we cannot grow the economy and we know that. Sometimes, in our rush to deliver, we have built houses without infrastructure, and this has led to continued ongoing hardship for the beneficiaries. Imagine the excitement of moving into your own house for the first time in 80 years, but the heartbreak at finding that the taps do not run, the spanking new flush toilet does not flush, and you still have to use a primus stove to do your cooking because the electricity has not been connected. Excitement soon turns to anger when these issues have failed to be addressed, months down the line. Then we have serious problems. These are poor people and they do deserve better.
In this regard, the ANC welcomes the action taken by government to establish a new grant, the Urban Settlements Development Grant, as announced by the Minister of Finance in the Budget tabled in Parliament. This grant is one of several streams of funding for human settlements and it seeks, firstly, to encourage towns and cities to be proactive developers of urban infrastructure by mobilising domestic capital. Secondly, it seeks to realise the positive impacts of urbanisation by addressing towns' and cities' performance constraints and, thirdly, to improve co-ordination and planning.
This new initiative comes with its own challenges. It requires that Parliament plays a more effective oversight role. Municipalities will be accountable to the national department and as such will fall directly under the oversight of Parliament. This will mean ensuring that there is capacity to manage the grant.
This Conditional Grant totals just under R6,5 billion for the 2011-12 year and will increase to just over R8 billion in 2013-14. It is allocated to metropolitan municipalities to support infrastructure development for informal settlement upgrading.
Building infrastructure will require a determined effort by government departments to break down the silo mentality and to work together, so that when people move into their new houses, everything works.
Another major outcome for the department is sanitation. Government has recognised the vital need of providing basic services to remote rural areas. Since 2007, government identified rural development as one of the country's major priorities. In response to this, National Treasury established the Rural Household Infrastructure Grant. This has been referred to already. A total of R1,2 billion over the 2010 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework has been allocated to this fund. All the members in the committee were concerned about the short spend on this year's Budget.
This grant encourages the use of community-based organisations, CBOs, NGOs and public entities to ensure that communities are trained on how to sustain and maintain the infrastructure beyond implementation. Programmes are labour-intensive. The committee was concerned that the grant was not used to the full. In some instances, service providers do not seem to be clear about their mandate, whether they have capacity. This affects service delivery. Next year we will ensure that this budget is fully spent. With the critical need for water and sanitation we cannot tolerate unspent budgets.
In this financial year, government has provided a total of R122 billion through various allocations for housing, water, sanitation and electricity - all included in Human Settlements - and we are pleased about that. The ANC welcomes the accreditation by Minister Tokyo Sexwale of eight municipalities to Level 2 status.
Accreditation involves the progressive delegation and eventually the assignment of certain defined functions in relation to human settlements programmes to local government. These municipalities can now take responsibility for their own projects with fewer bureaucratic hurdles. It will also shift the onus from provinces to these municipalities, and we expect them to speed up delivery and improve quality control.
While the ANC applauds this move, we are of the view that this will have to be carefully monitored. Provinces will still have the funding and will have to manage the payments. Communication will have to be beefed up.
The ANC supports the Minister's exciting 2030 vision. As a team working together under the strong leadership of our chairperson, the hon Nomhle Dambuza, we will give the Minister and the department our full support. Like Martin Luther King, we have a dream. It is to see all people who move into their houses enjoying the experience of turning on the tap to running water, being able to flush their toilet and turn on the lights by the flick of a switch. The ANC supports this budget. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, chairs and CEOs of department entities, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen ...
... kubuhlungu kum ukuva ilungu elibekekileyo okaBorman, ehlasela ilungu kweli cala ngoba kaloku kungekudala nje indawo yoogobityholo eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Bhagdad - ndiye ndabuza umbuzo mayela noko - apho kungekho zindlu zangasese, abantu bazenzele ezi zindlwana ngokwabo, bazibekela amabhakethi nezitulo, ngoko ke ndiyayoyika into yokuba sihlaselane kule Ndlu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[... it is so sad to hear hon G M Borman attacking a member of the opposition because not long ago, I had asked a question about the refugee centre named Baghdad, where there are no toilets. This has prompted the refugees to construct them and put in the buckets and seats. Therefore, it scares me when we attack each other in this House.]
The dangerous demons confronting this department need to be exorcised. The first one is the renovation of poorly built houses and the second is the Independent Development Trust for its poor performance, failure to create decent jobs, and being marred by corruption. The entity needs a leadership change ...
... ngoba ingxaki esinayo yeyokuba imali asiyilandeli. [Kwahlekwa.] [... because the problem we have is that we do not follow up on the monies allocated. [Laughter.]]
They could not even make good use of monies that were allocated to them. Out of a budget of R52 million they spent only 38%. They are not fit for their purpose. They are very arrogant towards the community even though they are supposed to create jobs for the community. The IDT could not even liaise with the municipalities, and the sanitation provided was not even up to standard. As the DA, we cannot promote this.
Mphathiswa okokuqala, kulo nyaka uphelileyo waye wathembisa ukuba izindlu ziya kulungiswa, kangangento yokuba siye sancoma sivuya, ukuba ezo zinto ziya kwenzeka, kodwa kusaqhutyekwa kulungiswa izindlu unangoku nje. Phaya eTakasitati, endaweni yokuba zilungiswe kwakhiwa ezinye kwazezi nkampani zimoshileyo. Ndiyacela ke Mphathiswa ukuba uyise iso loo ndawo.
Okwesibini, ndifuna ukuncoma, kwaye ndivuyisane nesebe lakho, ngoba liye ekuqgibeleni lanceda iMpuma Koloni kwicala lokulungiswa kwezindlu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Firstly, Minister, last year you promised to renovate the houses that were poorly built. We commended you and we were happy thinking that that will happen. Until today the houses have not been renovated. In Tarkastad, instead of renovating them, new houses are being built by the very same companies which had done shoddy work. I request, hon Minister, that you monitor that.
Secondly, I want to commend and congratulate your department for eventually helping the Eastern Cape with the renovation of the poorly built houses.]
While the DA welcomes the reported progress made on the matter, we have yet to witness such progress ourselves on the ground. I need to put it to you, hon Minister, that at Zola in Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape, there is a place known as Sweet Waters. There, more than a thousand houses remain the same even after many years since I first raised the matter with you.
Many informal settlements remain at great risk of disease and other social ills, despite the commitment by the government last year that more than 2 700 informal settlements in the country are receiving quality care and access to basic services. We would like to differ with that statement. At Mafela, for example, a group of about five families are sharing one plot.
Elo ke lihlazo Mphathiswa, into yokuba abantu abaziintsapho ezintlanu bahlale kwindawo encinci kangako. [It is a disgrace, hon Minister, that five families have been allocated a small plot like that.]
In Baghdad there are no toilets, except for handmade ones made out of a black bag and a chair. There is lack of access to clean water. Please note that this is a serious problem in Gauteng as well, due to a huge services backlog. When we visited the province, the department said that there was adequate service delivery, but strangely enough, at ground level the opposite is true. There is a lack of access to clean water. Many people are now sure who to vote into power because they have been made promises for many years with no change. We want to say to these people, yes, the DA is the choice.
Sihlalo wekomiti, ngowona mbutho wabantu ke lo. [Chairperson of the committee, this is the real people's party.]
The death of Mr Meleke Andries Tatane, a father, teacher and activist, is one of the biggest blows this country has suffered since the advent of democracy 17 years ago. It reminds many of us of the darkest days and brutal forces of apartheid. The murder of one person is one too many. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon MECs - including one from my home province, MEC Kenny Mmoiemang from the Northern Cape - and treasured guests in the gallery, central to the crisis in our country are the massive divisions and inequalities left behind by apartheid. We must not perpetuate the separation of our society into a First World and a Third World. That is a disguised way of preserving apartheid.
We must not confine growth strategies to the former while doing patchwork and piecemeal development in the latter, waiting for trickle-down development. The purpose of the Department of Human Settlements is to create an enabling environment for the development of sustainable human settlements, in partnership with stakeholders, to improve the quality of life for all South Africans. The ANC-led government will work to improve the effectiveness of local government, accelerate infrastructure development and create sustainable human settlements. The national priorities are aimed at creating an environment that is conducive to economic growth and social development.
In his state of the nation address that gave the marching orders to the current administration, President Jacob Zuma outlined the following as our key national priorities: education, health, rural development and land reform, creating decent work, and fighting crime. We are responsible for rural housing development, the regulation of home building standards, social housing initiatives, the provision of subsidies, the development of rental stock, and facilitating access to housing for vulnerable groups.
Within the context of human settlements the department has an obligation to work cooperatively with other departments to ensure that housing delivery is matched by other essential services such as schooling, health facilities, access to work opportunities, transport and so forth. This requires integrated planning and execution.
South Africa is a developmental state that plays an active role in guiding economic development and using the resources of the country to meet the needs of the people. We try to balance economic growth and social development. The Department of Human Settlements uses state resources and state influence to attack poverty and expand economic growth. The Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme is one of the ways in which we help to uphold our people's dignity where they live. This programme targets vulnerable communities living in well-located informal settlements. Through this programme, sites in existing informal settlements are upgraded so that residents experience minimum disruptions to their lives and their families are not uprooted.
Government's active intervention in the form of major investment in infrastructure resulted in the construction sector growing by a higher rate than many other sectors. Consequently, the increased employment in this sector has assisted in cushioning the country from the worst ravages of the recession. There are, however, new challenges due to the fact that most major projects in the country have been completed or are approaching completion. However, our communities still require services and support.
We as the government and Public Service have to rise to the occasion by doing so, but by doing things differently. Changed circumstances dictate changes in the way we do things. We certainly have to operate with tightened belts, ensuring that we use the public purse with extreme care rather than squandering it. Mindsets have to change, service providers must understand that government demands value for money, and that the days of government being a cash cow are over. We cannot use our restricted budgets to justify non-delivery. As our President has said, this is a year of job creation, action and effective service delivery. We can and must deliver, doing much more with less. We have to work smarter and harder.
The Department of Human Settlements needs efficiency, dedication, honesty, integrity and the willingness to serve. There is no room for idleness, nor for the squandering and plundering of public resources through fraudulent and corrupt practices and the maladministration of public funds. Those officials and service providers who seek to engage in such conduct will find that there would be no room to hide. As our President has said, those who engage in corrupt and fraudulent behaviour must and will be brought to book. Fraud and corruption remain major challenges across the housing delivery environment.
We continue to identify and act against criminals and have strengthened our relationship with agencies such as the Special Investigation Unit, the Hawks, the Criminal Investigations Service, the SAP Services, and our Internal Audit Unit in order to act against offenders.
The Department of Human Settlements is not here to simply provide a physical structure, as in a house, but to make sure that this is a home for families, part of a sustainable neighbourhood, and that it contributes to economic and social life where cultural, sporting, educational and commercial prowess can be nurtured.
We want to also ensure that the homes provided are of good quality, and that our people get the best value for money. Being poor does not translate into being the recipient of poor quality of service. As the Department of Human Settlements, we honour the sentiments articulated in the Freedom Charter that there shall be houses, security and comfort for all.
In line with the principles of co-operative government, national and provincial governments are supporting and strengthening the third sphere, which is local government, the exit point for service delivery. Provincial and local government enhance municipalities' capacity to ensure decent housing. The South African Local Government Association, Salga, has a mandate to transform local government and to represent its interests at provincial and national levels. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. We thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, I think the collective view of our people out there, assembled in the nine provinces and listening to this debate, will be that no one in this House does not believe in them having proper shelter. I would like to believe that they know that this Minister, together with the department and the various provinces represented here, remain committed. I want to recognise the presence of two Members of the Executive Council, MECs, who are the foot soldiers of human settlements. They are MEC Kenny Moemang from the Northern Cape, and MEC Memezi from my province, Gauteng, as well as the various foot soldiers on the ground, namely the heads of department, HODs, who are here. [Applause.] We remain committed to providing proper and adequate shelter to our people. There is nothing that will diminish that commitment.
Secondly, we will leave this debate wiser and take with us the positive points that have been made here - and let's engage outside this House too, because these 5 or 10 minutes cannot build houses for us. We at the Department of Human Settlements are very open to good ideas and suggestions. Mrs Njobe, we want to engage with you on rural housing.
I have just come from eMsinga in KwaZulu-Natal, where with the Deputy President we were delivering houses to the people. What a place, but also a difficult one to be confronted with! I agree with you, hon Steyn, that there is a crisis. But you will have to agree that the stink of Makhaza is also a crisis. We would like to work with you to make sure that our people are not subjected to such conditions. They are hoping that solutions will arise from this debate so that they can be housed adequately.
I want to tackle one more point that was raised here: the issue of job creation. Human Settlements is one of the biggest job-creation areas to be found anywhere in the world. The United States economy collapsed due to the issue of housing. When the housing and housing finance institutions, the mortgages and so on came down, Obama found that the economy came tumbling down with it. Of course, we were affected here. We believe that through what we do - providing land, places and plots for people to dig in, put up bricks, mortar, iron, steel and all types of materials - we create jobs everyday. Again, that resonates with the policy of the New Growth Path. What people need, beyond the words that we can give them here in this House, are jobs. With a job, you have the key to education, health, housing and more.
The time will come some day when there will be a cut-off point, because a developmental state cannot continue to be a welfare state. But, for now, we cannot turn our backs on our people. Every day when I leave for work I see Mrs Shaheed and Mrs Lujalajala before me. I want to invite her - I hope she is listening in Gauteng - as we will be coming back to Diepsloot.
Sir, I didn't sleep in Diepsloot. I went there to work on your behalf so that I could see the conditions. I was born in a squatter camp, where Orlando Stadium is now. So, when I went to Diepsloot, it wasn't a media stunt. I will be going back there with R100 million, which is the total amount that the Director-General told me is available, so that we can begin to show people that we are committed with the money that has been given to me by you, the members of this House.
I assure you that we will employ those funds well. The National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, is under my very close, watchful eye. Its new chairperson, Dr Rev Mehane, is here today. I have installed him and will be sitting with them to make sure that things are done properly. Indeed, we cannot continue to rectify substandard houses. I am the Minister of Human Settlements, who must provide human beings with shelter, not the "Minister of rectification". I heard what you said and I take it on.
Ka Sesotho ba re ke hlokwana la tsela. [In Sesotho they call it a grapevine.]
What you have said is good advice for me. So, rest assured that your Minister will respond. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.