The Department of Human Settlements has achieved a miserable 41.7% of their housing delivery targets in the past financial year.
According to the Department’s Annual Report which will be tabled in Parliament this term, the Department spent 97% of their budget, whilst achieving an overall result of 56% across all programmes.
On their Integrated Human Settlements Planning and Development Programme, which sees formal housing being rolled out across South Africa, the Department spent 99.3% against a dismal 41% performance.
This shocking performance is as a result of the ANC’s ongoing lack of political will to capacitate Provinces to deliver the very basics.
Key findings contained in the annual report include:
- 28 351 formal Breaking New Ground houses were delivered against a target 52 405
- Against a target of 30 land parcels rezoned in Priority Development Areas, 0 were rezoned
- A total of 3502 pre-1994 title deeds were registered against a target of 5644
- A total of 12867 post-1994 title deeds were registered against a target of 20758
- Only 978 new title deeds were registered against a target of 6733
- 4 223 informal settlement serviced sites were completed from the USDG budget against a target of 55 000 (7%)
- Of these service sites, 1636 were in Cape Town. Cities such as Nelson Mandela Bay, Manguang, Joburg, and Tshwane achieved 0%
- Only 14 informal settlements were upgraded to Phase 3 of Upgrading Programme against a target of 130
- Overall, the Department underspent by R720.26 million
- The Auditor General also noted that effective and appropriate steps were not taken to prevent irregular expenditure
- On affordable housing programme, the Western Cape out performed any other Province in the administration of FLISP opportunities, with 1720 opportunities provided
- Here the Western Cape outperformed the second highest achieving province (KwaZulu-Natal) by 300%
- Despite the under-performance of the Department, officials were still rewarded with performance bonuses.
With more than 66% citizens now living in urban centres, and more than 3 million people on the Housing Database, South Africa’s low-cost housing challenge remains a ticking time bomb.
The Department of Human Settlements’ continued under-performance and lack of consequence management will not change until we kick the corrupt ANC and their cronies out of power.