Human Settlements portfolio committee calls for punitive measures on developers
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements Aaron Motswana has urged the North West Department of Human Settlements to enforce consequence management on non performing developers.
Motswana’s appeal follows a visit by the portfolio committee in Kopela Village in the Tswaing Local Municipality recently.
Members of the committee appealed to the department to prioritise the previously disadvantaged. According to the committee, there are still many women, people with disability, elderly and many other vulnerable groups who are still finding it difficult to benefit from the housing programme, even though they qualify.
The committee has further appealed to the department to ensure that the housing subsidy quantum is enough to allow and enable developers to start and complete departmental projects.
They further called on developers to use or buy local materials as it will be cheaper for them, but also ensuring that local and provincial economy continues to grow. However the committee could not leave without reading the riot act to the department.
“Please ensure that you include penalty clause on those developers, and ensure that there are consequence management. You need to intensify monitoring of your projects and ensure that your developers start and complete projects on the stipulated period. Our people can’t wait for houses for years, while its possible to deliver over a short period of time,” said Motswana.
Responding to the concerns raised by the committee, the Acting Head of Department James Mashigo, said that the department is working closely with local municipalities to implement projects requested.
“We are being guided by what the Integrated Development Plans of different municipalities and the provision of land and other resources. It is the municipality’s responsibility to ensure that subsidy administration is intact and implemented, so we can’t build a house without an identified beneficiary,” said Mashigo.
Mashigo also told the committee that the department has decided to prioritise services to ensure that when houses are occupied, services are already installed. He further informed the committee that the department has already started including penalty clause on the contracts they sign with contractors, and that monitoring and evaluation of projects, has already being intensified.
Mashigo assured the committee that systems are already in place and that he is positive and hopeful that the department will continue to implement on its mandate.
Source: Government of South Africa