Minister Tertuis Simmers Speech at the NCOP Debate

The following speech was delivered by Tertuis Simmers, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Debate – Budget Vote 33: Human Settlements

• Honourable Chairperson, 
• Members of the NCOP,

Thank you for the opportunity to address this House.

The Western Cape welcomes the national commitment to spatial transformation, innovation, and partnerships in the human settlements environment.

But let us be clear: housing delivery is not separate from infrastructure – it is infrastructure.

In our Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050, including the Strategy and Implementation Frameworks, out of a total of four outcomes, human settlements is our first outcome statement, which is that “Households have increased access to basic services and improved shelter”. 

Where and how people live define their access to jobs, education, and opportunity.

In the Western Cape, we treat human settlements as economic infrastructure. 

Our strategy is data-driven, spatially just, and aimed at reversing apartheid’s legacy while enabling long-term growth.

We have built a single infrastructure pipeline aligned to economic growth, supported by rigorous reviews.

Housing is no longer just a social good – it is a catalyst for jobs, investment, and integration.

But provinces must be empowered to deliver.

This year, our ability to do so was undermined by the National Department of Human Settlements’ unilateral R300 million cut to our Human Settlements budget.

This was not due to underspending – that narrative is false.

While our adjusted business plan was submitted in September 2024, it was only approved in December 2024. Yet, in March 2025, without consultation and due process, our funds were cut.

In fact, the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure had received invoices for work done equivalent to the cut.

This has left our department with a budget deficit for human settlements. 

Chairperson, this decision struck a blow to thousands of beneficiaries and violated the principles of cooperative governance. 

I want to affirm that the National Department of Human Settlements is not a mother department to its provincial human settlements counterparts.

Human Settlements is a concurrent competence between national and provincial government and on this basis, budget processes need to honour the concurrent competence. 

This is a call to National Treasury to review the way human settlements is funded to provinces.

Still, we press on with delivery.

In the heart of Cape Town, we are advancing key inner-city projects that bring affordable housing closer to work and transport:

• Regent Villas Extension 2: 110 units, tenanting from September.
• Prestwich Precinct: 310 opportunities in a mixed-use development.
• Conradie Park Phase 2: 659 new homes under construction.
• Leeuloop: 830 units breaking ground this year.
• Somerset West: 1034 homes, tenanting by May next year.
• Founders Garden: 2000 affordable, mixed-use opportunities near economic hubs.

And we are doing even more: Amandel Place will deliver 326 units; Grassy Park, 319; Oude Molen,1364; and Stikland, nearly 7000.

These are not just numbers – they represent dignity, access to opportunities, and real transformation.

Beyond the metro, we're evaluating 23 strategic land parcels for development with integrated services.

These parcels amount to a total of 85 hectares, at a value of R340 million.

To accelerate delivery of these major projects, we are pioneering the Alternative and Blended Finance Framework with our Provincial Treasury. 

This model allows us to crowd in private capital, reduce dependency on national grants, and match projects with appropriate financial tools.

Already, we have a R200 billion pipeline under review, spanning housing, transport, and catalytic precincts – aligned with the Western Cape Government’s Growth for Jobs strategy and our Infrastructure Framework.

We are also driving innovation:

• Title deeds delivery and informal settlement upgrades.
• New affordable rental housing models.
• Alternative building technologies and streamlined planning systems.

In 2021, we launched the Western Cape Housing Demand Database App – the first digital platform in the country that allows residents to register and track their housing applications via mobile phones.

By utilising technology, we have improved transparency, planning, and eliminated queues.

Furthermore, together with the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, we recently successfully completed the second round of Housing Market Studies across seven municipalities, including Swartland, Saldanha Bay, Overstrand, Breede Valley, Bitou, Knysna, and Oudtshoorn. 

This initiative is part of the Western Cape Government’s ongoing efforts to deepen its understanding of local housing market dynamics in our province.

Our aim is to advance well-located, affordable housing opportunities and support the development of Municipal Inclusionary Housing Policies.

These studies provide critical, data-led insight into how local housing markets function, highlighting trends in supply and demand, affordability challenges, and opportunities for both private and public sector investment.

Chairperson, this is what modern, resident-centered delivery looks like.

But to scale this, we need a reliable national partner. Not one that withholds funds for political reasons.

We ask of this House and the Minister: let performance – not politics – drive funding, and let fairness and delivery guide our partnership.

For us, Human Settlements is about more than bricks and mortar. It's about dignity, stability, and economic inclusion.

Despite these obstacles, we will continue to lead, innovate, and deliver.

Because the people of the Western Cape, and South Africa, deserve nothing less.

Thank you.