Housing Targets Exceeded in Human Settlements 2014/2015 Annual Report | Western Cape Government

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Housing Targets Exceeded in Human Settlements 2014/2015 Annual Report

11 November 2015

Housing delivery targets were exceeded for the 2014 / 2015 financial  year according to the Human Settlements Annual Report tabled in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature on the 10 November 2015. In addition, the Department obtained a clean audit and utilized its entire Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) of R 1 934 936 000 directly on delivering housing opportunities. The HSDG is allocated in terms of the Division of Revenue Act, and forms the bulk of the Department’s total infrastructure budget of R2.151 billion.

The delivery consisted of 10 746 housing units against a target of 10 357, 7014 service sites against a target of 6211 and 1046 other opportunities against a target of 1015. In addition, 141 rental properties were transferred against a target of 100, and the number of debtors was reduced by 1147 against a target of 700.

“We are clearly on the right track” said Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela. “We are exceeding our targets and utilizing our entire grant, which shows we have turned this ship around and are sailing it in the right direction.”

The successful delivery is dependent on the capacity of municipalities to manage their human settlements function which includes the planning, development and management of housing projects. The Department has supported the planning and implementation of projects at municipal level through the ongoing support of its regional teams who work closely with their municipal colleagues. The provincial service delivery success has been achieved even though the following generic constraints are present in the human settlements environment.

  • Limited funding to address the  provincial backlog of over 500 000 households
  • Protracted planning processes due to legislative requirements
  • In-migration
  • Land invasions
  • An increase in informal settlements and
  • The scarcity of well-located and suitable land for housing.

The delivery was attained with a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption as part of the Western Cape Government’s Anti-Corruption Strategy. During the financial year under review, 10 fraud and / or corruption investigations were completed by the Provincial Forensic Service which demonstrates the Department’s commitment to clean governance.

According to Minister Madikizela, the Department is pursuing the following three strategic goals in the delivery of its human settlements mandate over the 2014 – 2019 period.

  1. Shift more resources to upgrading of informal settlements program (UISP) in order to provide basic services to all our citizens.
  2. Strengthen our partnership with the private sector in order to increase affordable houses for people earning above the free subsidy threshold.
  3. Pay more attention to the allocation of free subsidised state houses in order to prioritize the most deserving individuals, over 40s, disabled and child headed households.
Media Enquiries: 

Nathan Adriaanse
Director: Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Tel: 021 483 2868
Email: Nathan.Adriaanse@westerncape.gov.za