Human Settlements Shifts Goal Posts for Sanitation Backlog Deadline, Again

The deadline for the eradication of South Africa's sanitation backlog, has been postponed by another two years to 2016.

This was revealed by the department's Deputy Director General during this week's Human Settlements portfolio committee meeting.

This is the second time this deadline has been postponed and a let-down of the over 2 million households in South Africa in desperate need of ablution facilities. Sadly, residents in provinces such as the North West continue to bear the brunt of the backlog. Recent surveys suggest that only 1% of informal settlements in the North West have access to proper sanitation.

According to previous reports and presentations by the Auditor-General and Financial and Fiscal Commission, the failure to eradicate the sanitation backlog is largely due to poor planning and under-spending.

Drastic action is needed to spur the Department of Human Settlements into action.

The DA will write to the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, requesting that she specifically investigate the poor planning and under-spending by the National Human Settlements Department as a contributing factor to its failure to eradicate South Africa's sanitation backlog.

In terms of section 4 of the Public Protector Act, the Public Protector may investigate any maladministration in connection with the affairs of government.

We will also request that Human Settlements Minister, Connie September appear in Parliament to:

- Present the full report on the progress and findings of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela-led sanitation task team established in September 2011 that her predecessor, Tokyo Sexwale, failed to; and

- Outline steps her department is taking to implement their recommendations.

In the DA-led Western Cape, 99.1% of households have access to piped water and 96.9% have access to toilet facilities according to census data. Furthermore, we have committed to ensuring that everyone in the Western Cape has access to basic services, according to the national minimum standards, by 2014 and are on track to meet this commitment.

We have proved that improved delivery and reduction rates are possible through proper planning and spending, and will do so in all provinces where the DA is elected to government.

The DA will do everything it can to ensure that the Minister and her Department are held accountable and that she delivers on their mandate, like we have in the Western Cape.

- AllAfrica