Every title deed delayed, is dignity denied

Issued by Solly Malatsi MP – DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements
18 May 2017 in Speeches

The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Solly Malatsi MP, during the Budget Vote on Human Settlements.

I would like to begin by welcoming the fact that In Nelson Mandela Bay, the DA will be able to ensure that 12 000 indigent people will be able to access basic services this year. This is the progress and change South Africans voted for.

Perhaps it is important to kick-off our response in this budget debate by tracing the origins of the mandate that the Department of Human Settlements has.

So that we can robustly assess whether the Department is doing enough to fulfil its constitutionally enshrined role.

Section 26 of the Constitution states that:

  1. Everyone has the right to access to adequate housing.
  2. The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.

From this, we can deduce that establishing sustainable human settlements takes more than merely building houses.

It also requires the identification of suitable land to accommodate the provision of basic services.

It requires difficult negotiations with communities who often do not want to relocate to make way for housing developments.

It requires the appointment of contractors with the capacity to deliver projects on time.

It requires a credible housing database to ensure that the right people are beneficiaries.

It requires fostering social integration to redress the legacy of apartheid’s spatial planning.

It requires a delicate balancing act between competing priorities and optimising limited resources.

Every decision has to be thoroughly considered and carefully implemented. There are no easy solutions and shortcuts to success.

From the onset, we acknowledge that the ANC has done fairly well to provide shelter to over 4 million South Africans. However, much more could have been done but progress has stalled under Jacob Zuma. And much more can be done to extend homeownership to more South Africans.

In an era where rhetoric, sloganeering and all sorts of populist tantrums masquerade as socio-political activism, it is almost impossible to have a rational debate about important issues with the ANC. More so when such issues affect human dignity such as the “…the right to have adequate housing.

And as politicians, we carry a massive responsibility to enrich public debates on these issues.

Yet some amongst us pollute such debates with reckless statements encouraging land invasions.

While others expediently use the allocation of housing opportunities to victimise opposition supporters.

Meanwhile, poor South Africans watch in despair wondering whether governement genuinely cares about their rights as much as it claims to do.

Honourable Members, one of the key factors that derail efforts to tackle the demand for housing is that the industry is highly politicised.

From the tendering process to the allocation of job opportunities in housing projects.

Tenderpreneurs are milking the state with inflated costs while some politicians are interfering in the appointment of local labour. Even housing lists are corrupted as your proximity to the top of the list is too often determined by your proximity to those higher up in the ANC.

And until such time that we adequately address these, we will continue to have incomplete housing projects and agitated communities blocking housing developments.

This is why where the DA governs, bid adjudication committee meetings are open to the public to showcase transparency from the onset. The DA have also conducted audits of the housing lists.

An open and fair process of appointing contractors for housing projects enhances their credibility amongst community members.

We don’t claim to have perfect governments where we govern. However, we try our best to do the right thing at all times.

Which is why the development of an updated and credible housing database is essential for the fair allocation of housing opportunities on our governments.

Honourable Members, it is impossible for any government in the current economic climate to provide housing opportunities for all those who deserve them.

This is why the upgrading of informal settlements and provision of basic services to backyard dwellers are such important interventions to instil dignity to millions of South Africans while they are waiting for their housing opportunity.

As the DA we are proud that the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements continues to be one of the top performing provincial departments with regards to the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme.

One of this Department’s courageous targets for the current term is to “provide title deeds for all 563 000 new subsidised housing units and eradicate the backlog of the historic 900 000 title deeds.

Yet, when one analyses current delivery trends by ANC provincial governments to this end, it shows that we are nowhere near reaching these targets.

The worst performers in this regard are the Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Human Settlements, led by the ANC, who are dismally failing to deliver title deeds.

All the while thousands of residents in these provinces have to endure the frustrating lengthy wait for title deeds to affirm their ownership.

It makes no sense whatsoever why beneficiaries have to wait for such long periods to get their title deeds once they have been handed their houses.

In the age of ground-breaking developments in technology and innovation, we should move towards an era where beneficiaries can receive their title deeds as soon as they have been handed the keys to their properties.

Because every title deed delayed, is dignity denied.

This is why where the DA governs we prioritise the speedy transfer of title deeds to empower our people with the much-needed security of tenure.

It is for this reason that DA governments in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay, and the Western Cape have adopted the prompt issuing of title deeds a priority project.

In Johannesburg, Mayor Herman Mashaba is currently seized with the smooth transfer of 3 900 title deeds.

In Tshwane, Mayor Solly Msimanga has undertaken to transfer 6 000 title deeds over the next few weeks.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, Mayor Athol Trollip has already embarked on a mission to expedite the allocation of title deeds. Just last week the handover of 19 00 title deeds was announced.

In the Western Cape, the Department of Human Settlements, under MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, has to date issued 75 300 title deeds to beneficiaries.

In all these instances it is clear that where there is political will, there is always a way to fast-track the handover of title deeds.

The problem with tackling the ever-rising demand for housing is not a shortage of funding. It’s the lack of political will from the Executive.

With a budget of R33 billion for the current financial year, the Department arguably has sufficient resources to deliver its mandate.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having ANC governments in Limpopo and Gauteng failing to spend their Urban Settlements Development Grant allocations.

Honourable Minister, you have a massive responsibility to ensure that millions of poor South Africans realise their “right to adequate housing”.

So, whatever happens between now and December, as you pursue your party political ambitions, please don’t check out as the Minister of Human Settlements.

Honourable Members, as a young man, I am sickened by the ongoing violence and abuse inflicted on women by fellow men.

It is high time that as men we take a stand against those who violate women’s rights in the homes, at their workplaces and in their communities.

These men live amongst us. They are our homeboys. They are our neighbours. They are our colleagues. They roam in our social circles. So it is incumbent on us, to take on these misogynists in all spaces to prevent violence against women.

I thank you.