Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and your Deputy Ministers in the House, members of SA Local Government Association, SALGA, permanent delegates and also alternate delegates, hon MEC, I've seen one from my province, special welcome, ladies and gentlemen.
As our 2019 Election Manifesto correctly outlined that we are building a capable development state that has improved the lives of our millions of our people. Few countries in the world have succeeded in expanding vital services such as water, sanitation, electricity, roads and housing to so many people in such a short period of time.
Thus, as the ANC, in our 54th National Conference, we resolved on the need to ensure that water provision must be addressed as an integral part of human settlements.
Thus, as the ANC, in our 54th National Conference, we resolved on the need to ensure that water provision must be addressed as an integral part of human settlements.
The 5th Administration made commendable in strides in achieving the following objectives within the Human Settlements sector:
Increasing housing units in better-located mixed income projects, especially in the social, co-operative and rental houses. In KwaZulu-Natal we have that, especially in eMhlanga; and
Focusing on the catalytic projects such as integrated residential programmes and directing investment and overcome apartheid spatial geography.
Regarding the radical transformation of the water sector, we are away that although the repressive and discriminatory water legislation of 1956, the Water Act, was repealed and replaced by the progressive National Water Act of 1998. South Africa is characterised by vestiges of apartheid colonial laws which perpetuate unfair allocation and access to water.
These inequalities have led to the abuse of water due to illegal privatisation-by a minority who have a long standing privilege or preferential rights to water resources. More importantly, this inequitable allocation has led to a lack of access to adequate water supply for the majority of South Africans, particularly the blacks, who are in the majority in this country. This is a regrettable situation which must be addressed decisively.
Central to this problem are the vestiges of the repealed Water Act, Act of 1956, specifically remnants of riparian rights (appearing as existing water use entitlements) which are present in the different forms and clauses in the current piece of legislation which governs the water sector in South Africa today.
Our rural and poor communities have had to bear the brunt of the riparian principle for far too long. This clause needs to be reviewed so as to ensure that the ownership of water will be fully transferred to the state to ensure equitable and fair allocation and access to water in our country.
The military veterans have not been forgotten by the ANC government nor neglected in the life and work of the Department of Human Settlements. Instead, the department's 2018-19 plans and budgets reflect the ANC's 53rd and 54th National Conference resolutions where we committed to improve the living conditions of our military veterans.
We equally note and commend the department's commitment to fast- track and complete the provision of housing to military veterans through appropriate consultation and applicable legislation.
Apart from providing housing, the Minister in her 2018-19 budget speech noted that the Department of Human Settlements, through its entity, the National Home Builders Regulatory Council, NHBRC, would facilitate the training of 450 military veterans in the 2018-19 financial year. The NHBRC is responsible for regulating the home building industry. It will equip our military veterans together with other designated groups with technical and home construction skills that will enable them to actively participate in the construction and home building sector.
This intervention is in line with the commitment made by the ANC-led government to provide and implement structured support and economic opportunities to black-owned companies in the housing and residential property sector, with special attention to those owned by women, youth, military veterans and people with disabilities. The other challenges in terms of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Through the Urban Settlements Development Grant and the Human Settlements Development Grant, the Department of Human Settlements is empowered towards providing sustainable and integrated human settlement and ensuring that our economy grows by including the participation of youth, women and people living with disabilities, through the 30% set asides within the housing value chain.
There is a very important matter of the economic value chain that is associated in the grants aimed at building sustainable human settlements. We call on the department to ensure that women, youth and people living with disabilities find expression in this economic value chain of such projects as this will play a pivotal role in curbing the increasing unemployment rate of the country and will upskill the masses of our people with the necessary skills required for them to enter into the market and be active participants in the economy.
The role and functions performed by the entities of the Department of Human Settlements are crucial in promoting the quality of human settlements, providing social housing, promoting the interests of housing consumers, ensuring more inclusion and participation in the human settlements value chain.
The Estate Agency Affairs Board regulates, maintains and promotes the conduct of estate agents will receive R162,2 million in the 2019-20 financial year. However, much need to be done to ensure that the entity fulfils is mandate of transformation through developing and including our youth.
In conclusion, the foundation for the developmental agenda in South Africa has been set within the Freedom Charter, which is the living soul of our country's progressive Constitution and is the foundation of Vision 2030 of the National Development Plan, NDP. Everything we are doing is in pursuance of the vision of this plan to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
What is needed now from all departments in this country, but more especially [Coughs.] [Interjections.] for the Department of Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements is to follow what the founding drafters of the Freedom Charter, the Constitution and the recent National Development Plan have envisioned and use this as a base for all future planning and commitments in the water, sanitation and human settlements sector. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, WATER AND SANITATION: Deputy
Chair, I must apologise to the last speaker that we didn't have water here, we represent water and we should have had. Next time we will remember that.
Deputy Chair, allow me to correct a protocol error I committed a little earlier. I did not recognise the presence of Minister Didiza
and the Deputy Minister Land Affairs. They are here to pledge their support to give land to Human Settlements so that we can [Applause.]
I would like to think everybody who has spoken in support of the budget; those who have not spoken in support obviously have their own reasons for that. Nonetheless, I'm happy to have come here and seen that most of us here are enlightened about the issues that we face. And I must confess that listening to everybody here I'm very proud to belong to the ANC. They stand here ANC members and you can see they know what they are talking about, wake up. [Applause.] It was a lecture worth listening to, each one of them. Because we have the responsibility to govern.
I want to thank my Deputy Ministers. I could not have chosen and asked for better, they are very energetic and completely on the ball assisting me in making sure that we get down to the people. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
I want to also acknowledge the Chairperson, hon Dodovu, and I can see that he's been working 24 hours round the clock with specific intent of assisting us to turn the Department of Water Affairs round. We have a plan hon Dodovu and it will be in your disc which
we promised you; just get into the disc and you will find all the plans that we have put out there and we will follow them through.
Informal settlements are with us for some time, I did note that some of you are very concerned about that, it is part and parcel of urbanisation. It is an international phenomenon not just restricted to South Africa and the only internationally plan is to ensure that we can plan for it, it will be with us for many years to come. Therefore, it doesn't help us comparing one city to another and the level of informality that it has.
Hon Seleku, I'm certain that you either slept through a revolution or we have ... I'm not sure. Because we actually have the best policy on human settlements, internationally acknowledged as the best. So, try another way to deflect attention from this. The first thing that you should do is just acknowledge what is there, there could not have been better than what we have. The crisis that you explained is in your hands, the crisis that you talk about, every sentence has relevance to first and foremost the Western Cape. We are not here to discuss the Western Cape; we are here to discuss the country and your responsibility towards the country. And if you are faced with particular problems in the Western Cape, the answer is in
your hands, you have your MEC here, talk to him and show that we deal with the problem that you have put out there.
Deputy Chair, there is a member here who has been fossilized in some old, old century, who actually seems to think, it must be the Freedom Front Plus, who seems to think that we are overplaying the idea of apartheid spatial planning. I don't know where he comes from. It is the most notable divide that the world has ever come across. It is with us and it will with us. You just wake to the fact and deal with the matter and make sure that you come on board. We should not leave you in the 19th century, we are moving ahead.
I want to indicate to the MEC Peters here from the ... sorry, the MEC for the Western Cape that he is indicating to us the progress that they have made. We have a mean meg in a few days time and you are free to come and boast to mean mag, we have the statistics to show whether or not you've been misleading the House. [Applause.] There has been a hyperbole of things that have not happened at all and you know that. Nonetheless, we will get to that. While we are here, please make sure that you deal with the issue of Crossroads, make sure you deal with the issue of Khayelitsha and all of those matters. And we will deal with the matter of the land that belongs to Denel, etc, because you, again, are one of those of people who
slept through significant part of our history. This land has been redirected and is being used.
To the member of the IFP, I'm very glad that you have mentioned the issue of the hostels. I'll make a request to you that you call a meeting of the dwellers of Glebelands and tell them what we would like to do, with you, and if agreed and they are going to work with us, we will be there to make sure it is done. This is you responsibility and we are willing to work with you to make sure that this is done. [Applause.]
To the EFF, Luthuli, you are an embodiment of total contradiction, from your name to everything you said, completely. [Applause.] I mean, I listened to you so eloquently explaining just how well you understand this sector, I was beaming with pride and then in the end you say you reject the Bill. [Interjections.] I mean, what's wrong with the budget? What's wrong with you? What is wrong with you? [Interjections.] Yes. I mean ... sit down with the other members and explain to them what you stood here and said. I mean it's 80 out of a 100, 80%. And why would you reject the Bill ... reject the vote? [Interjections.]
Hon Deputy Chair, I want to say to hon Sotashe, hon Sotashe we will unfortunately have to go ahead and top slides from you. if Treasury can do the top slides for municipalities for Eskom it can do it for yourself. You are completely unable to live up to your expectation and pay up, you owe us in the region of sixty-something billion rand, you as municipalities. And you stand here and say let's talk about devolution of power. How can we talk about devolution powers when you can't even pay the most basic rates that are required of you? when you are in a better position to manage the affairs of the resources of municipalities, when you are better able to handle sanitation we will talk about devolution.
Finally, you say we should not claim any easy victories, you should not claim any victories either.
Hon Deputy Chairperson, we've heard what everybody else have said, we've appreciated the amount of time that has been put into this and we would like to make sure that everything that has been raised with us here we will follow through. We will come back to you on a regular basis and follow through with responses to all the matters that you have raised. Thank you for your support. [Applause.]