Sihlalo weNdlu yoWiso-mthetho, Malungu ePalamente, abantu bonke abakhoyo, ndivumeleni ndithi kuni molweni. Sihlalo, mandiqale ngeyokuqala yokuba umbutho wesizwe i-ANC, unyawo zabezolo, oyinisileyo imvula kwakhonya noomofu, uyayixhasa leVoti yoHlalo-lwabiwo-mali. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Mr J M MATSHOBA: Chairperson of the National Assembly, Members of Parliament, all the people present here, allow me to greet you. Chairperson, let me start by firstly saying that the ANC, the organisation with a very rich history, the one that has made things happen for the benefit of us all, supports the Budget Vote.] The ANC-led government has a political mandate of bringing dignity to the poorest citizens of this country by providing decent housing and eradicating informal settlements by 2014 in line with the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, and the ideal of a nation free of slums. We have come a long way.
In terms of section 26(1) of the Constitution everyone has the right of access to adequate housing. In terms of section 26(3) no one may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without a court order issued after considering all the relevant circumstances. No legislation may permit arbitrary evictions.
Mandiyilungise le into. I-DA inempazamo eyenzayo yokuzifanisa ne-ANC kanti yona iyinkampani ayinguwo umbutho. Xa sithetha ngomba wokuziswa kweenkonzo ebantwini, i-ANC ayinantanga apha. Umbutho ocinga ukuba ungazifanisa ne- ANC, mawuncame! [Uwelewele.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Let me correct one thing. The DA is making the mistake of comparing itself to the ANC whereas it is a company, not an organisation. When we speak about delivering services to the people, the ANC doesn't have any equal. The organisation that thinks it can compare itself to the ANC must just give up! [Interjections.]]
As government we have to ensure each and every person who has been allocated a government subsidised house receives a full title deed after a happy letter has been signed. Studies have shown that there is often a delay in the awarding of title deeds to beneficiaries of government- subsidised housing. It has been established that the reasons for not awarding title deeds are often because of a failure by developers, both government and the private sector, to finalise the establishment and proclamation of new areas being developed for subsidised housing.
Projects go ahead without the approval of a general plan for the area, largely because the players involved lack either the time or expertise, or both, to address the many underlying issues that need to be resolved on certain tracts of land. Legislative, administrative and situational difficulties all contribute to the challenges. With the immense pressure on government officials to deliver housing at scale, the processes of township proclamation are sometimes short-circuited in favour of getting houses on the ground quickly.
In other instances, title deeds are registered but not handed over to owners. This is because owners of subsidy houses do not collect the title deeds as they do not understand their importance; conveyancers hold back the title deeds due to non-payment by the municipalities; the municipalities hold back the title deeds due to the sales restrictions on subsidy houses. The delay in issuing title deeds for subsidised houses fundamentally undermines the asset quality of government-subsidised housing and compromises the integrity of our Deeds Registry. This is a critical challenge facing the state, which must be addressed with urgency.
Government should review and amend the different pieces of legislation such as provincial ordinances and the Less Formal Township Establishment Act, to streamline processes relating to the registration of title deeds. There should be ongoing educational campaigns on the importance of title deeds to beneficiaries, using community leaders and civil organisations.
As the government, we acknowledge that there are many problems with the occupancy of state-provided homes. There had been complaints because houses were allegedly allocated to beneficiaries who were not on the waiting lists. The strategic approach of providing housing to our people is focused on national priorities, such as the creation of decent work, sustainable livelihoods, education and the improvement of health. In responding to these challenges, the department has established the National Housing Needs Register whose purpose is to serve as a co-ordinating instrument to obtain data related to the need for adequate housing on a national, provincial and municipal level.
Furthermore, the data collected via the housing needs registration process will be utilised for planning, budgeting and allocation of housing opportunities to potential beneficiaries. The data contained in the database could also be utilised for analysis and decision-making by various role-players at different levels of government. The National Housing Needs Register is also supported by guidelines for the allocation of housing opportunities to potential housing beneficiaries.
The process related to the capturing and approval of subsidy applications for a housing subsidy linked to a specific human settlement delivery project is a well-established process at provincial level, with over 90 000 subsidy applications that were captured, validated and approved by the provincial departments of human settlement during the previous financial year.
The interventions planned for the current financial year is to address certain shortcomings related to the implementation of the National Housing Needs Register in more provincial departments of Human Settlements. Also, the utilisation of the National Housing Needs Register by provincial ...
Ndiyabulela. [Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]