NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
FRIDAY, 29 AUGUST 2014
1074. Mr W M Madisha (Cope) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether, subsequent to his statement to the Farlam Commission that as
a collective the nation had failed the people of Marikana, the
Government has taken any steps to ensure that (a) the widows of the
deceased miners received improved living conditions around Wonderkop
and (b) the Rustenburg Municipality was providing the basic services
that the families desperately need; if not, why not; if so, what are
the relevant details? NW1244E
REPLY
Whether, the Government has taken any steps to ensure that:
a) The widows of the deceased miners received improved living conditions
around Wonderkop.
Government across all spheres is working to improve the living conditions
for all residents in the areas around Wonderkop. Wonderkop is located in
the Madibeng Local Municipality, which forms part of the Bojanala District
Municipality. The Madibeng, Rustenburg and Moses Kotane local
municipalities form the Bojanala Platinum Complex. They are three of the
fourteen municipalities prioritised by the Special Presidential Package for
the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Towns.
During the period June to August 2014, National Government, through the
Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security
Agency (SASSA) provided support to informal settlement communities in
Rustenburg and Madibeng local municipalities. These services were delivered
to both mineworker and non-mineworker families affected by the protracted
strike on the platinum belt.
The South African Social Security Agency distributed 7Â 402 vouchers and 8
297 food parcels to the value of R7Â 065Â 050 which reached a total of 5Â 233
beneficiaries per month.
In addition, the following services were provided in the informal
settlements in Madibeng and Rustenburg:
⢠Increased access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) services
⢠Psycho-social support
⢠Provision of cooked meals for children attending unregistered and
unfunded ECD facilities
⢠Distribution of blankets to vulnerable households
⢠Provision of sanitary towels/packs to school girls
⢠Provision of school uniforms to school children (1 142)
⢠Provision of learner material support to 361 children
⢠Provision of social services by social workers and ensuring access to
social security
In the Bojanala Platinum Complex, the North West provincial government has
set aside R462 million for housing projects in the mining area of Marikana.
Over the next three years, the North West will provide focused technical
support on human settlements and a mix of housing opportunities in the
mining areas of the Bojanala District.
b) Rustenburg Municipality was providing the basic services that the
families desperately need; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant
details?
Rustenburg Municipality provides basic services to eight prioritised
informal settlements. This includes water through communal stand-pipes and
water tankering. Eskom, in partnership with the municipality, provides
electricity in some informal settlements. In the formalised areas full
services in terms of yard connections are provided.
The stateâs ability to provide basic services and housing, including the
rapid upgrade of basic services to informal settlements, in the Bojanala
District is constrained by traditional and private ownership of land,
conditions for development not being resolved between land owner and
government, governmentâs own restrictions on the use of public resources on
private land, and legal restrictions on the development of land parcels
situated next to the mining operations. These range from mining rights and
servitudes to environmental aspects.
There are infrastructure complexities related to bulk supply having reached
its capacity limits and the associated internal reticulation difficulties,
especially related to the unplanned nature of settlements. In addition
there are medium term considerations about eligibility for government
support programmes given income thresholds being exceeded, residential
status and previous receipt of housing entitlements (often to a household
head). In addition to these limitations, the provision of interim services
is affected by the fact that some consenting land owners and shack
landlords have service arrangements which run in parallel and/or contend
with state services, including through illegal connections to services.
As a short to medium-term strategy to overcome some of these complexities,
the North West Department of Human Settlements has purchased 440 hectares
of private land to enable government to develop integrated human settlement
plans for permanent infrastructure, housing and social services in these
areas.
The local municipalities are in the process of negotiating the terms for
integrating existing informal settlements which are located on private or
traditional land. In the meantime, budgets are being reprioritised to
enable improvements in the provision of interim services such as refuse
removal, water tankers and temporary sanitation facilities in these
informal settlements.
Through the National Department of Human Settlements, Rustenburg
Municipality is receiving technical and capacity support from the National
Upgrading Support Programme for upgrading of informal settlements in the
area. Ten informal settlements have been assessed and categorised in
Rustenburg. Detailed upgrading plans are in place for two settlements and
upgrading plans for the remaining eight settlements are being finalised.
The balance of settlements is being scheduled into a development programme
over the medium term allowing for interim service rollout.
This has offered the provincial and national government an opportunity to
develop a more coherent approach to using the human settlement support
agencies, applying the full range of housing programmes to address the
needs of a mix of residents.