CAPE TOWN — The housing row between Western Cape’s government and Cape Town’s city council continued yesterday with Premier Ebrahim Rasool disclosing that the city received 73% of the province’s housing subsidy allocations.
Rasool fired a broadside at Cape Town mayor and Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille and her multiparty city government, saying that while they got 73% of the budget they would not take responsibility when things went wrong.
The premier suggested that, while it was not “desirable”, the provincial government should become the agent to contract developers. He said there had been disagreements on policy between the city and the province, and “it leaves us with very little choice”.
Rasool said projections were that the city would underspend by R145m on housing this financial year, which was “criminal”, especially for an area as critical as housing.
He said yesterday at a housing summit of the province and the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) that the housing situation “frustrated” the provincial cabinet, controlled by the African National Congress (ANC), because the city, which received 73% of the housing subsidy budget, took no responsibility when things “went wrong”.
A comparison had been drawn at a provincial cabinet meeting on Wednesday between “the eunuch and the harlot”. Whereas the eunuch had responsibility, but no power, the harlot had power but no responsibility.
“I don’t want to say who’s who,” he said.
The “sensitive” housing issue has raised political temperatures in Cape Town since the illegal occupation in December of nearly 1000 houses at Delft Symphony, part of the government’s flagship N2 Gateway project.
Now the province is seeking to institute a civil claim against DA councillor Frank Martin, who led the housing invasions, and the DA, for at least R20m.
Rasool said Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi was becoming “increasingly frustrated” by fights in Western Cape, and he was proposing a national housing agent to deliver houses in the country.
Mufamadi met housing MEC Richard Dyantyi and Zille on Wednesday about the city declaring an intergovernmental dispute with the province, which has so far failed to grant housing accreditation to the DA-led multiparty city government. The effect of this would allow the city to bypass provincial approval for new housing projects, and speed up delivery of houses by the city.
All Dyantyi would say about the meeting was that it was to discuss “mutual issues” that were considered “work in progress”. - Business Day - NEWS Worth Knowing
Rasool fired a broadside at Cape Town mayor and Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille and her multiparty city government, saying that while they got 73% of the budget they would not take responsibility when things went wrong.
The premier suggested that, while it was not “desirable”, the provincial government should become the agent to contract developers. He said there had been disagreements on policy between the city and the province, and “it leaves us with very little choice”.
Rasool said projections were that the city would underspend by R145m on housing this financial year, which was “criminal”, especially for an area as critical as housing.
He said yesterday at a housing summit of the province and the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) that the housing situation “frustrated” the provincial cabinet, controlled by the African National Congress (ANC), because the city, which received 73% of the housing subsidy budget, took no responsibility when things “went wrong”.
A comparison had been drawn at a provincial cabinet meeting on Wednesday between “the eunuch and the harlot”. Whereas the eunuch had responsibility, but no power, the harlot had power but no responsibility.
“I don’t want to say who’s who,” he said.
The “sensitive” housing issue has raised political temperatures in Cape Town since the illegal occupation in December of nearly 1000 houses at Delft Symphony, part of the government’s flagship N2 Gateway project.
Now the province is seeking to institute a civil claim against DA councillor Frank Martin, who led the housing invasions, and the DA, for at least R20m.
Rasool said Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi was becoming “increasingly frustrated” by fights in Western Cape, and he was proposing a national housing agent to deliver houses in the country.
Mufamadi met housing MEC Richard Dyantyi and Zille on Wednesday about the city declaring an intergovernmental dispute with the province, which has so far failed to grant housing accreditation to the DA-led multiparty city government. The effect of this would allow the city to bypass provincial approval for new housing projects, and speed up delivery of houses by the city.
All Dyantyi would say about the meeting was that it was to discuss “mutual issues” that were considered “work in progress”. - Business Day - NEWS Worth Knowing
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