It was revealed during a briefing by the provincial the provincial Department of Human Settlements delivered more than 12 700 housing opportunities in the 2020/21 financial year across the Western Cape and were able to transfer 6 352 title deeds to empower beneficiaries through ownership of their own homes. Despite a myriad of challenges, including a budget cut of R331 million, land invasions, lockdown regulations and vandalism, the provincial Department has been able to deliver services while producing a clean audit.
The new innovative Sustainable Building Technology (SBT) policy ensure that green materials, processes and methods are used in the building and maintenance of housing developments. Not only does this reduce the environmental impact of housing projects but the 1 035 units built with SBT installed more efficient and cheaper energy, water and sanitation technologies to the benefit of end users.
Other notable work of the Department in the 2020/21 financial year include:
- Spending 67% of its Human Settlements Development Grant on targeted groups including women and youth contractors supporting them in growing and establishing their businesses in a highly competitive environment.
- Leveraging its resources, a total of 973 jobs were created through various projects and 56 young people received training.
- Assisting all 25 municipalities in the province in technical planning aimed at fast-tracking housing projects while also partnering with other departments including the Department of Health, Education and Transport & Public Works, to ensure that communities have access to public services.
More than this, the efforts of the provincial Department to expand the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) will be a gamechanger for first time home owners across the province. As the Western Cape has consistently has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, the majority of beneficiaries do not qualify for fully subsided housing. Instead, partial subsidies through FLISP will unlock opportunities for first time home owners.
MPP Matlhodi Maseko says: “The innovative and hard work of the Department of Human Settlements make a very real and tangible difference in the lives of thousands of families in the province every year. Despite many challenges including severe budget cuts and lockdown regulations, the Department has continued to find new ways of delivering services which will have the greatest impact on our communities.”