In response to a DA parliamentary question, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure revealed that his department provided technical support to all 25 local municipalities and 1 district municipality during the 2021/22 financial year to “accelerate and unlock planning activities for human settlement projects”.
With the assistance and technical support of Department Regional Planners, the province’s municipalities received the following support:
- Municipal Human Settlements Pipeline (technical support): refers to the monthly technical engagements with the 25 municipalities where human settlements projects are identified and tracked, and funding and budgets are developed and monitored. In some instances, projects that were previously blocked, were identified in these meetings and through further engagements resuscitated to the point of implementation.
- Human Settlement Plans (HSPs): the department provided support to Bitou, George, Saldanha and the Garden Route District municipalities in undertaking and developing their HSPs.
- Spatial Development Framework (SDF): Beaufort West and Hessequa municipalities have undertaken a review of their SDFs. In collaboration with the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, the Department of Infrastructure has ensured that the human settlements pipeline is responsive to the intentions of the applicable SDFs.
- Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDP): The department reviewed and commented on the draft IDPs of all 25 municipalities to ensure the inclusion of human settlement development
MPP Matlhodi Maseko said: “The DA welcomes the innovation displayed by the Provincial Department of Infrastructure in encouraging cooperation among sub-national governments with the aim of capacitating municipalities to implement human settlements projects from inception to completion. It is exactly this kind of alignment, knowledge sharing and engagement which is key in ensuring the successful delivery of housing opportunities to communities across the province.”