50,000 houses have to be rebuilt
Tokyo Sexwale's Department of Human Settlements has to rebuild about 50,000 low-cost houses - thousands more than expected.
Sexwale told the parliamentary portfolio committee in January that his department would have to repair or rebuild 40,000 homes around South Africa. Building companies to blame for shoddy work would be brought to book, he said.
But his special adviser, Chris Vick, said the figure had risen to 50,000.
Since January the department has demolished and rebuilt only about 12% (6,200) of the homes, most of them (5,300) in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sexwale told the MPs that R1.3-billion, or 10% of the department's budget, would be used to rectify the faulty houses.
Vick said 20 major contracts with contractors were under review.
"It is important to note that the Special Investigating Unit and the minister's national audit task team are conducting a thorough investigation into the causes of shoddy construction across the country," said Vick.
An SIU spokesman said the unit was working with the department to combat corruption in the low-cost housing programme. Although it focused initially on government officials who fraudulently received housing grants, the unit recently started probing housing contracts.
These included contracts involving builders being paid for homes that did not exist, incomplete or seriously defective houses and builders being paid for more homes than they built.
The department estimated 2.1million new houses were needed to address the backlog.
"A national demand database has been created to do away with old waiting lists and to ensure that beneficiary names are captured in a manner that does not disadvantage the proposed beneficiaries," said Vick.
"According to our statistics, approximately 1.2million people are currently registered on the national demand database."
Sexwale told the parliamentary portfolio committee in January that his department would have to repair or rebuild 40,000 homes around South Africa. Building companies to blame for shoddy work would be brought to book, he said.
But his special adviser, Chris Vick, said the figure had risen to 50,000.
Since January the department has demolished and rebuilt only about 12% (6,200) of the homes, most of them (5,300) in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sexwale told the MPs that R1.3-billion, or 10% of the department's budget, would be used to rectify the faulty houses.
Vick said 20 major contracts with contractors were under review.
"It is important to note that the Special Investigating Unit and the minister's national audit task team are conducting a thorough investigation into the causes of shoddy construction across the country," said Vick.
An SIU spokesman said the unit was working with the department to combat corruption in the low-cost housing programme. Although it focused initially on government officials who fraudulently received housing grants, the unit recently started probing housing contracts.
These included contracts involving builders being paid for homes that did not exist, incomplete or seriously defective houses and builders being paid for more homes than they built.
The department estimated 2.1million new houses were needed to address the backlog.
"A national demand database has been created to do away with old waiting lists and to ensure that beneficiary names are captured in a manner that does not disadvantage the proposed beneficiaries," said Vick.
"According to our statistics, approximately 1.2million people are currently registered on the national demand database."
In the Western Cape, 469,405 people were on the waiting list.
A new housing backlog study is to be released by property consulting company Rode and Associates next month.
Western Cape housing spokesman Zalisile Mbali said R18-billion was needed to address Cape Town's housing backlog and R25-billion for the Western Cape's.
The troubled N2 Gateway Project in Cape Town also received Sexwale's attention.
A new housing backlog study is to be released by property consulting company Rode and Associates next month.
Western Cape housing spokesman Zalisile Mbali said R18-billion was needed to address Cape Town's housing backlog and R25-billion for the Western Cape's.
The troubled N2 Gateway Project in Cape Town also received Sexwale's attention.
The project was launched to set the government's Breaking New Ground plan into action. The aim, said a 2008 report by the auditor-general, was "a comprehensive housing programme dealing with human settlement and social infrastructure, including rental housing stock for the poor".
About 22,000 units were planned for informal settlements along the N2 highway, where, Sexwale's officials say, 85% of households have a monthly income of less than R1,600 each, joblessness is at 57%, less than 3% of people have access to adequate sanitation and less than 3% have drinkable water.The auditor-general criticised the government for the way the N2 Gateway Project was implemented and managed. Only R2.5-billion of the estimated cost of R4.2-billion was budgeted for. Poor construction was also highlighted
Sexwale told MPs the project's rent collection rate was only 5%.
2 comments:
Don't Make me add the 2015 label and bring up all those MDGs and JHB 2002... and WSSD and the bucket system promise
just don't make me do it ok...
because WHO do we hold accountable?
So the N2 Gateway's collection rate from rental housing stock for the poor is 5%.
Inner City prototypes / high rise buildings will achieve no better and will continue to be maintained at tax payers cost..
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