Chairperson, is it right for Ms Robinson to mislead the House, because the N2 is not only near Langa. She is aware that there is another housing settlement ... [Interjections.]
Hon member, sit down. That is not a point of order. Continue, hon Robinson.
In addition, work began before plans were finalised or contracts signed. This project is being built on a 50-year flood plain, adding to the city's costs. Certain companies were appointed, even though they missed the tender deadlines, and some companies were given more than twice the money they tendered for.
Meanwhile, contractors who have worked on the project are still owed millions of rands. To cover the costs, money was diverted by the ANC administration from other priorities. These included the city's capital budget as well as essential services such as fire-fighting; and still the ANC could not complete the N2 Gateway on time.
Now the ANC accuses Mayor Zille of making the N2 Gateway into a political issue! But the N2 Gateway was a political issue right from the start, as you said. It was used by the ANC to campaign for votes ahead of the local government elections.
Minister Sisulu and Mayor Mfeketo wanted the N2 Gateway to show that the ANC could fast-track delivery to its constituencies. But it has shown exactly the opposite. In fact, the N2 Gateway demonstrates everything wrong with the ANC governance. The project was aimed at some people, and not others. [Interjections.]
On a point of order, Chairperson: I think it is only fair that Ms Robinson withdraws her statement that I said it was used as a tool for the elections. I never said that. I said it was wrong of Helen Zille to use it as an electioneering tool for elections, and to try to tell society that.
That's not a point of order. Continue, hon member.
Planning was poor, and the costs were out of control. The new city administration has committed itself to finishing the N2 Gateway, but only as and when the national government makes funds available. The city has also opened a forensic audit to see where all the money was going.
That is why Minister Sisulu is upset, because the truth is coming out. She has accused Mayor Zille of going to the media instead of the set structures, of being unprofessional and unethical. The mayor did no such thing. What she did do, upon taking office, was to open mayoral committee meetings to the media, so that the public would know what was going on. [Interjections.]
The letter was read as matter of routine at a housing portfolio committee meeting. The media reported on an open meeting, as they should in a free and democratic state. If those meetings had been open to the public when the ANC was in power, perhaps the problems with the N2 Gateway would never have happened.
The problem is not that the ANC can't deliver. The problem is that it won't deliver, because it would rather do everything behind closed doors and reward its cronies in the name of empowerment. The ANC does not realise that the fight against corruption and service delivery to the poor are linked. You cannot deliver to the poor if you are busy giving corrupt contracts to the ANC elite.
Now the national government says that each of the provinces is going to give up 10% of its housing budget so that the N2 Gateway can be finished. What do your provinces say about that, hon members? If I were a resident in one of your provinces, I would be furious! Why must other people suffer because of former Mayor Nomaindia's mismanagement?
The ANC and the Minister are pretending that Mayor Zille failed to attend a meeting on the N2 Gateway. They fail to mention that the mayor agreed to attend the meeting, but the Minister rescheduled it twice. Eventually, the meeting was moved to the very time that Mayor Zille had to be in a council chamber to prevent the ANC and ID from toppling the multiparty government. [Interjections.]
The meeting is just a red herring, a useful pretext for the Minister to throw a tantrum and kick the city off the N2 Gateway project. But the Minister has in fact scored an own goal.
The forensic audit will continue. The city will continue to expose the ANC's corruption and mismanagement. Meanwhile, the ANC national and provincial governments will be solely responsible for the N2 Gateway's failure. The city will set ...
On a point of order, Chairperson: The hon member just said that the ANC is corrupt. Could she just withdraw that remark?
Hon member, if you said that, it would be unparliamentary. Could you withdraw that?
[Inaudible.]
Pardon? You said it's alleged? [Interjections.] Order, order! We will check the Hansard on that, and come and make a ruling.
Cape Town will be able to focus on its own efforts to provide housing for the poor and it will, I am sure, provide more for the city than the national and provincial governments.
An opportunity has been lost, an opportunity to work together. It has been lost, because the ANC preferred secrecy to transparency. It has been lost, because the ANC preferred the spectacle of delivery to delivery itself. It has been lost because the ANC and not Mayor Zille has decided to cut ties.
The voters have already delivered their verdict. The ANC has been thrown out of the mayor's office.
Members, I stand here as a proud DA member, proud of the multiparty coalition that is being led by Helen Zille, and which is rescuing the City of Cape Town from its poor administration. Enkosi. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Chair, Deputy Chair, hon MEC ... Mphathiswa, namagosa eli sebe ... [Minister and the officials of the department ...] ... apartheid has left the legacy that is the cause of us engaging in this debate today. We cannot rest until the dignity of our people has been restored. The binding principle of our movement is to deliver a better life for all. When millions of our people are still homeless and their dignity has not been restored, that poses a challenge and gives us sleepless nights.
Sihlalo, yinyani emsulwa le yokuba xa sasithabatha ilizwe ngowe-1994 salifumana lineengxaki ezininzi ezinje ngale sithetha ngayo namhlanje. Yiyo loo nto namhlanje ndime apha ndithetha ngale ngxaki ye-N2 Gateway. Andoyiki ukuthi nditsho ukuba kaloku lo N2 Gateway siphumeze imibono kaKhongolozi yoMqulu wamaLungelo, hayi ekaNomaindia. Ukuze abantu babenezindlu eziphucukileyo kuza kuba ngenxa yalo Mqulu wamaLungelo wethu. Nina DA anizi kukwazi ukuthi sithi sikhona, singayanga ndawo njengoKhongolozi nivukele izivumelwano zobuRhulumente bobuthathu.
Sele etshilo apha uMphathiswa, Mam'uRobinson ukuba, ... lo mba awunanto yokwenza nesiqu somntu, uNomaidia. URhulumente kaZwelonke, wamaPhondo, kunye noweZekhaya kumabhunga bathatha isigqibo sokuvuma esi sivumelwano kodwa namhlanje xa sininika isandla niyasala, nisinqumle. Andazi ukuba niyenza njani loo nto. URhulumente kaZwelonke uthi nantsi indlela yokwenza, kumaphondo, abaPhathiswa, ooMasipala, ooSodolophu, nokuba ngowaliphina iqela, yile yokuba makuhlanganwe kuncediswane ngalo mba we-Gateway. Lowo ngumbono woMphathiswa okhokelayo kaKhongolozi, hayi okaNomaindia.
Nina ke DA, lo mkhuba wenu wokusoloko nifuna ukubuyisela emva izinto zabantu asinako ukuwuvumela. Abantu boMzantsi Afrika baye bazenza ezi zivumelwano koMasipala bonke, kodwa nina namhlanje nakuphatha, okwethutyana ke phofu nifika nimise inkqubo yokuphuhlisa izindlu. Niyamosha ngoba uMphathiswa wezeZindlu kazwelonke utshilo apha ePalamente ukuba ucele ukuba kuphengululwe iincwadi. Nto leyo enisoloko ningxola ngayo nathi esiyikhuthazayo ke phofu esingayigxekiyo. Sithi ke siyancoma nakuMphathiswa ngeli nyathelo alithethe kanye ekungeneni kwakhe kwilinge uthe wabona ukuba lihamba okonwabu.
Nathi siye sayibona loo nto, asiyivanga ngani, noMphathiswa uyinbonile yilaa nto athe makhe kuphengululwe iincwadi. Uphengululo-ziincwadi ke Mam'uRobinson phaya kuMgaqo-siseko lukwiCandelo le-188 apho uthi khona, umphengululi uyakwazi ukuba ayokujonga phaya kuRhumente kaZwelonke, abuye eze apha kwiphondo kuwe Mphathiswa, asuke aye kuSodolophu uMam'u Zille afike athi ndiyaphengulula ngoku. UMphathiswa ke kaKhongolozi umnikile imvume yokuba ayenze loo nto, akhange athi, "hayi ndiyamfihla lo Nomaindia enimtyhola ngokwenza oku noku ekunye nabaPhathiswa", kodwa uthe, "ngena ngoba liyakuvumela icandelo l88 lo Mgaqo-siseko".
Nina ke ningoobani xa sihambe ngokoMgaqosiseko, simfakile umphengululi, nithi nina nifuna olwenu uphengululo? Ngokwentetho ephandle kodwa niyadelela. Kaloku xa ningakwazi ukulandela okutshiwo nguMgaqosiseko, nifuna ukuzifunela owenu umntu, yenzani, asinangxaki, kodwa zeziyazi ukuba eli lizwe liphethwe nguKhongolozi, inkunzi ibanye esibayeni. Ndithi ke asiyonyani lento beniyithetha apha ngezi zindlu ze-N2 Gateway phaya kwaLanga. Niyazazi kaloku ukuba aninyanisekanga. Niyazi ukuba eza zindlu ziqala phi, emva kwesikhululo seenqwelomoya zizokuqhina nge-District Six, ngoko ke le beniyithetha apha asiyonyaniso, kufuneka sinilungise.
Yekani ukuthi sithi xa sizama ukulungiselela abantu bakuthi emva kweminyaka engama-48 yolawulo lwengcinezelo, abantu bakuthi bengenayo nendawo yokufihla intloko, niphazamise. Zonke ezi zinto noyaziphazamiso asingo-N2 Gateway esithetha ngaye apha. Naba abanye abantu sele behlala ezindlwini zabo, natsiya imihlaba ngaphaya kooDelft. Izolo bendimmamele uMphathiswa kunye naye uNksz Zille bethetha ebusuku, nabantu bephendula besithi bona babehlala emva kwezindlu zabantu iminyaka engama-30 ukuya kuma 40 bengezo ezabo. Abanye bathi i-Peoples' Housing Project, PHP, ithe yancediswa ziimali zikaKhongolozi ukwakhela abantu. Abantu bonwabile bebesitsho apha eKapa ukuthi, "ngoku sineezindlu ezinamagumbi okutyela" besithi bebeqala nokuyibona into enjalo kuba beqhele oovezinyawo bezindlu.
Thina sibakhupha ematyotyombeni kuba ngexesha lenu nanilibele ngabo, ukuba nisakuna ukubalibala nangoku. Asoze sinivumele nenze lo nto. Xa ndiza kuhlala phantsi Sihlalo, mandithi, DA masiyiyekeni le nto bantakwethu, ingakumbi kule Ndlu yokuthi sithi xa kukho umba otya umzi siwenze owezopolitiko. Ndicela ukuba kubanjiswane kwakhelwe abantu izindlu. Yekani ukulwa ulwakhiwo lwezindlu. Yilwani ubuqhophololo kuleyo siyanivumela, kodwa kule yezindlu inkqubela niyibambile imile oko nithe nangena andiyazi esele niyenzile into. Nithanda amaphepha ngaphezulu kokwenza umsebenzi wenu. [Kwaqhwatya.]
La maphepha awasoze anincedise emsebenzini, ayesibulala kwakudala, yiloo nto abanye bethu side singakwazi nokuwamamela, ngoba amanye awo aye ezizixhobo zengcinezelo. Andiyazi ke nina ukuba kutheni niwathanda kangaka. Masike sakheleni abantu izindlu. Siyayamkela Mphathiswa, nomama ongekhoyo apha ukuba le nkqubo oze nayo uthe mayithi xha. Bona bayamosha, kufuneka uyithathele kuwe siza kukuncedisa thina siyikomiti enyonyuliweyo, namalungu ePalamente anyanisekileyo wonke. Siza kumane sisiya kujonga ukuba uyalwenza ulwabiwo lwezindlu ngokufanelekileyo. Uze uzisebenzise ke eza zixhobo zokusebenza ozinikwe nguRhulumente kazwelonke ezifana nee-database.
Siyazi ukuba asoze ibe yinto encinci ukufunela abantu ababaleka phaya eTranskei, eCofimvaba naseMthatha izindlu, besithi baze kufuna umsebenzi abangawufumaniyo, baphela sele besakha amatyotyombe ngoku sele bebaninzi kakhulu. Asazi ukuba uza kuyisombulula njani loo ngxaki kodwa sikhuthembile, kodwa ukuba ufuna uncedo ikhona le komiti ikhokelwe ngulaa mntana kaTau, ngamanye amazwi sikhona. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, it is the honest truth that when we took over the running of this country in 1994, we also inherited problems like the one that we are talking about today. That is why I am standing here today talking about the N2 Gateway problem. I am consequently not afraid to mention that it is through this Gateway project that we have successfully fulfilled the mission and vision enshrined in the ANC's Human Rights Charter, and not Nomaindia Mfeketo's vision. Included in this is that people shall have better houses. You, as DA members, will under no circumstances be allowed, as long as we the ANC is still in power, to revolt against an agreement that has been reached by the three spheres of government.
As the Minister and Ms Robinson have indicated, this is not about an individual, Nomaindia Mfeketo. This has nothing to do with Nomaindia Mfeketo. The three spheres of government reached this agreement. We are extending a hand of friendship to you, but you seem to be rejecting our gesture. I don't know how you could do that. The national government has paved the way forward for the way in which the provinces should work together. Ministers, municipalities, mayors and all political parties should work together with regard to the N2 Gateway project. That's the ANC national Minister's vision and not Nomaindia's.
You, the DA members, have this bad habit of undermining whatever rights our people have attained, and this will not be tolerated any longer. The people of South Africa have reached these agreements in all municipalities, but the day that you take over the running of the City of Cape Town for a little while you stop the progress of housing development.
You are causing problems because the national Minister made a request in Parliament for a financial audit - something that you have always been asking for and which we are supporting and not criticising. We commend the Minister for the steps she has taken, after taking over from her predecessor, of requesting an investigation into the project that was moving at a snail's pace.
We have also seen that; we never got it from you. The Minister has also seen that, and consequently asked for an audit. This, Mrs Robinson, is contained in section 188 of the Constitution. This section gives the Auditor-General the right to audit the national departments, go back to provincial and local governments, and move on to the mayor, Mrs Zille, and say, "I am investigating now".
The ANC's national Minister has given her the go-ahead to do that. She did not say: "No, I am hiding away Nomaindia, whom you alleged has done this and that, together with the Minister." She said: "Go ahead, because section 188 of the Constitution does allow you to."
And who are you, after we have followed the Constitution and involved the Auditor-General, to say that you want your own investigation? I want to tell you that you are cheeky. And so, if you cannot follow what the Constitution says, and want to appoint your own person, carry on. We don't have a problem, but you must know that this country is ruled by the ANC, and there is only one bull in the kraal. You are not telling the truth about the N2 Gateway houses in Langa; you know very well that you are not telling the truth. You know that these houses start just behind the Cape Town International Airport and stretch to District Six. You are not telling the truth here, on a point of correction. You need to stop interfering when we are trying to provide housing to destitute people who were subjected to apartheid for more than 48 years. You stick your nose into everything we do, and not only the N2 Gateway project that we are discussing here now.
Some people are already staying in their houses in Delft. Yesterday I was listening to the Minister and Mrs Zille's phone-in programme, when people were saying that they had been living in shacks for about 30 to 40 years. Some indicated that the People's Housing Project, PHP, has financially helped this ANC-led government to build houses for the people. They even said: "Now we have houses with kitchens and this is the first time that we have something like that, because we were used to small houses."
When we built small houses for our people, we were taking them out of the shacks, because you forgot about them when you were in power. Even now you still want to forget about them. We will never allow you to do that.
In conclusion, Chairperson, let me sound a very strong word of warning to our DA colleagues, and that is that we should refrain, especially in this House, from politicising issues when answers are needed. I request that we work together in building houses for the people. Stop fighting housing development and instead channel your energies to fighting corruption; we allow you to do that. But in as far as the project concerning the construction of houses is concerned, you are retarding the progress, leaving it stationary. Since you took over, what have you done? You like the media publicity more than service delivery. These newspapers will never help you in executing your duties. We do not read some of them because they were used in the dark days of apartheid to suppress information. I don't know why you like them so much.
Let us start building houses for the people. Minister, we welcome your programme. Let's leave behind those who oppose it. Take it over and we'll help you, the select committee and the honest Members of Parliament.
We will always monitor whether the distribution of houses is done in the correct manner. You must please use the information like the database that you get from the government.
We know that it's not child's play to provide houses to people who ran away from Transkei and places like Cofimvaba and Mthatha and relocated to Cape Town in pursuit of job opportunities, and ended up building shacks, of which the number has now increased. We don't know how you will solve this problem, but we trust you and if you need assistance, don't hesitate to consult this committee, led by hon Tau. In other words, we'll always be there for you. I thank you. [Applause.]]
Sihlalo ohloniphekile, Ngqongqoshe wesifundazwe kanye nozakwethu, eqinisweni, thina be-IFP sikholelwa entweni eyodwa: ukusinisa amahleza nokunqakulisana akusiyisi ndawo ngoba kuthunuka imizwa yabantu. Lolu daba lwe-N2 Gateway, okunguhlelo lwezindlu, empeleni lungene ngesinxele ngoba abaningi bethu bebengazi ukuthi kuzokhulunywa ngani, ngoba kutheni, kusukephi, kukhale nyonini?
Ake sithi lapha, uma sikhuluma ngezindlu sikhuluma ngento eseyaba yinsakavukela umchilo wesidwaba, noma undabuzekwayo ngoba phela siqhamuka laphaya kudala, lapho kwakukhona ukuthi siyizifikanamthwalo endaweni yethu yokuzalwa, lapho singumnsinsi wokuzimilela khona. Sasibizwa phecelezi kuthiwe singama-temporary "sojourners".
Sabe sakhelwa izindlu esasingazange sizikhethe ukuthi sifuna ukuhlala kuzo; sakhelwe amahostela okwakuthi uma uthi uyakhuluma uma ungumZulu kuthiwe, "Hamba uye KwaZulu." Babethi, "Hamba uye eZululand." Uma uthi, hhayi bo, angazi muntu ngoba ngazalelwa endaweni ethile, bona bathi "Uzothola okhokho bakho khona le KwaZulu." Kwakuthiwa iya kuleyo ndawo ehambelana nolimi olukhulumayo.
Manje sesifikile-ke lapho sithi khona abantu abazikhethele izindlu abafuna ukuhlala kuzo. Iminyaka seyithe ukuqhela kancane ngoba manje sekuyi-12 leminyaka. Ingakho-ke i-IFP ithi ayifuni ukungena odabeni oluthinta imizwa yabantu. UNgqongqoshe ubekhuluma lapha ethi iGateway izobe ivulwa, inikezwa abantu. Senikhulume kakhulu abantu bengakafiki laphaya. AbeSuthu bathi: le tsosa dibata masene.
Abantu bayofika laphaya izinhliziyo nemimoya sekuphakeme ngoba senikhulumile lapha ePhalamende. Esikukhethayo thina njenge-IFP ukuthi kwakhiwe izindlu ezizonikeza abantu bakithi isithunzi nokuhlonipheka. Asingabe silokhu sikhuluma ukuthi iGateway yayitheni, kuphi nalaphi. Sizokhuluma thina siyi-IFP uma nje sekwakhiwe izindlu, sesibona nabantu bengena ezindlini, hhayi uma sisalokhu sinqakulisana lapha.
Ngike ngaxakeka nxa sinikezwa amabhola lapha kodwa sengiyabona ukuthi bekuluphawu lokukhahlela uhlelo lwezindlu i-Gateway, kusengathi kudlalwa ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo. IGateway asiyiyeke; nokuthi uMeya uZille noma uMfeketho utheni asikuyeke. Kuphela nje lezo zindlu ngoba zikhona, asizinikeze abantu. Asiyeke ukukhuluma kodwa abantu abathole izindlu.
Uma ningathi nabaya abantu bayongena ezindlini, ngingacela mina ngithi ngiyahamba ngiya kokwenanela lolo daba, ngithi ngiya kohalalisela abantu bengena ezindlini. Siqhamuka laphaya ezindlini zomxhaso. Mina ngihlala laphaya eThokoza. Maqondana nalezi zindlu zomxhaso, kukhona omunye umame oke washo ukuthi kwakukhona osuthakuname. Laphaya eThokoza kosuthakuname, phecelezi ama-single room, uma kudlula isitimela ngendlela iyanyikinyeka indlu, ungaze uphume ubaleke nawe.
Uhulumeni akakhe izindlu ezisezingeni lokuba zingakhonwa abantu. Uhulumeni akabonelele imindeni yethu ukuze sihlonipheke, singalali nezingane zethu - ubaba nomama nezingane. Kunendawo laphaya eThokoza ababeyibiza ngokuthi idunusa ngoba naniqulusa nje omunye adunuse abheke le nomunye alale abheke le.
Bakwethu, uhulumeni akalethe izindlu, alethe isithunzi kubantu. Maqondana neGateway, ngithi phambili, mfowethu! Vula izindlu lezo abantu bangene phakathi bese niyeka ukunqakulisana ngebhola lapha. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr M A MZIZI: The hon Chairperson, the MEC, and colleagues, in fact we, from the IFP, believe in one thing: playing childish political games and politicking will not take us anywhere, instead these things rub salt in the people's wounds. The story of the N2 Gateway, which is a housing project, was wrongly put because many people did not know what we were going to talk about. No one bothered to explain why we have to discuss this topic in particular, what the reasoning behind it is.
Well, let us say here that if we discuss the issue of housing, we are discussing the daily issue, the daily bread, and a thorny issue for many people because we have come a long way as far as housing is concerned. Initially we were called settlers in our country of birth. We are the indigenous people here. We were even called temporary sojourners.
Those were the days when houses were simply built for us without us being asked what sort of houses we needed; we were put in hostels where, when you spoke and people realised you are talking isiZulu, you were unkindly told, "Go to KwaZulu." They would say: "Go to Zululand." If you tried to plead with them and explain that you did not know any person in that place because you were born in a certain place, you were told in no uncertain terms: "You will meet your ancestors there in KwaZulu." You were told to go to the place that matches the language you speak.
And now we are in an era where we say: Let the people themselves choose the houses that they want to live in. We are now many years away from the old era; 12 years to be specific. It is for this very reason that the IFP says it does not want to get involved in a matter that hurts the people's feelings. The Minister said the N2 Gateway project will be opened and people will be given houses. A lot has been said here regarding this housing project and the people have not yet even started occupying the houses. The Basotho would say: "Discretion is the better part of valour".
When people start occupying these houses they will be very angry because a lot has been said here in Parliament. What we, as the IFP, are saying is that houses should be built for our people, which will give them the dignity and the respect they deserve. Let us stop talking and deliberating too much on the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project or what was supposed to have happened to it, how and why. We, in the IFP, will only discuss the matter as soon as we see the houses being built and the people occupying those houses, not when we are still bickering here.
I was a little perplexed and surprised when we were given balls here, and at least I can now see that it was an introduction to the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project. It looks as if we are playing football here. Let us leave the question of the N2 Gateway Housing project alone; and forget about what Mayor Zille said or the then mayor Mfeketo. What we should do, instead, is to give those houses to the people because they are already there. Let us stop talking and give houses to the people.
If, for instance, you can point them out to me and say to me those people are going to occupy their houses, I can ask permission to go and witness that and also congratulate those people who would be getting the houses. We are in subsidised houses. I, for instance, stay in Thokoza. Regarding these subsidised houses, there is one woman who called them single rooms. When a train in Thokoza goes past these houses, for instance, they wobble and shudder to such an extent that if you are inside you start thinking of getting out and running for dear life.
The government must build houses that are affordable to our people. The government must subsidise our families so that they can be respected, and give us houses in which we do not sleep together with our children - the mother, the father and the children, all in one room! There is a place in Thokoza that the residents call "Dunusa". It was so named because people would stick out their buttocks when sleeping with other people, and each person slept facing a different direction.
Dear people, the government must bring houses to the people and restore the dignity of people. Regarding the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project, I say: Forward, my brother! Open the houses and let the people occupy them and stop playing hide and seek.]
Hon Chairperson ...
Just a minute, hon member. I want to remind the members in this House about Rule 33 and Rule 32 which say that during the debate in the Council no member may converse aloud. Please, give the members a chance to put their case across. Thank you. You may continue, hon member.
Chairperson, I greet the hon House, the chairperson, hon Ministers and MECs. Before I start my speech, I just want to say that something about this "bread and fish" thing that reminds me of Jesus Christ. So I don't know who the new Jesus Christs are here in this country.
As an ID Member of Parliament, I need to make it clear to the House that the ID is neither for nor against any party. As the name states, we are independent. We will go against something where appropriate and support something where that is appropriate, according to the ID's constitution, principles and policies, as issues emerge.
The N2 Gateway Housing project problems are extremely complicated. Firstly, the project is a pilot project, open to all sorts of error. By saying "it's open to all sorts of error", that means that if a thing is a pilot it's like an experiment. Therefore all faults can come into it. Do you understand? That is not a criticism. When something is new, you learn. Therefore faults will creep in.
I quote the city's most senior planner, Steven Boshoff, when he said the N2 Gateway project was "... the right kind for Cape Town". However, questions have been raised, which need to be answered. There was R27 million outstanding for work done during the project's first phase. If the project was planned properly, why has it been hampered by financial difficulties, since it was launched as an intergovernmental initiative? Why didn't the city mayor raise the concerns in the forum of Ministers, MECs and mayors?
We have to be sympathetic towards the homeless and be less comfortable in our cosy homes or mansions. We are looking forward to seeing these problems solved. I thank you, hon Chair.
Hon Chairperson, hon members, hon MEC, welcome. Regarding the N2 Gateway project, the current tussle and political point- scoring ...
Order!
Members of the DA, be quiet so that you can hear.
Hon Hendrickse, I think I am still the Chairperson here.
Sorry, Madam Chair.
You can continue now. Thank you.
This does not aid delivery, except to further delay deadlines. The nonpayment of contractors is totally unacceptable.
The Minister has been criticised for bypassing certain formalities before commencing with the project. I would hasten to say that if that route had not been taken, the first sod would not have been turned on this project. We need to fast-track things. I don't know if a project like this was ever undertaken in the Western Cape for people of colour.
We cannot have a situation where the metro impedes progress. We cannot have a situation where finished homes stand empty or emotions are whipped up whilst trying to sort out the waiting list. I think the Minister was quite correct in taking this project back.
This is what I want to say to this House now: As we speak, Helen Zille and her police are busy tearing down structures in Parkwood and, in fact, they started on Saturday. I want to know: Where is the DA's heart regarding those people who have no homes? These people are lying in the rain as we speak, right now. In fact, court orders are being delivered to them. [Interjections.] There are 81 persons. [Interjections.] This is the second time inasmuch as ...
Order!
I want to tell this House that I am not talking about something I heard, I am involved in this thing. Zille was there herself over the weekend telling people they must get out, with her police. There were six or seven trucks. [Interjections.] They talk about home. Where is the heart for the homeless? I thank you, Ma'am.
Chairperson, hon members, colleagues, on 8 May 2006 this Parliament celebrated the 10th anniversary of our democratic Constitution. Interestingly enough, this event took place within a period that we have defined as the Age of Hope. Indeed, the functioning of the different spheres of government and the state as a whole will prove and confirm the correctness of the fundamentals we have inserted in this most important document, which is the foundation of our democracy.
Our Constitution, amongst other things, has created a framework around which we have to redress the imbalances of our past while at the same time giving us a framework within which we have to build a functioning state. It is only through a partnership between all role-players in the housing value chain that we can hope successfully to find a comprehensive solution to our housing challenges.
The envisaged sharing of information between all spheres of government and the facilitation of processes to unlock impediments to delivery and joint home ownership through education programmes will encourage the provision of infrastructure and development funding to accelerate funding housing delivery, and will improve access to housing.
When the three spheres of government channel their energies, resources and commitment, we can change the fabric of our society for the better. The N2 Gateway was an excellent example of co-operation between the three levels of government - before the DA-led city council started showing its true colours. But the DA-led city council of Cape Town does not understand these principles set out in our Constitution.
I would like to refresh memories regarding the breaking of promises to the electorate, as in the previous local government elections where the DA had stated in their election manifesto: The DA will use the executive committee system not the executive mayoral system to govern cities. It was stated that this would ensure that power is not centralised in one person and that all residents are represented in the key decision-making bodies.
On 28 February 2006, Die Burger reported that the DA wanted to move away from the current system of municipal management where all the powers are vested in an executive mayor. The DA leader, Tony Leon, told reporters in Malmesbury: "We want to revert back to a system that is more democratic and transparent".
On the same day, at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve in Hermanus - now you should see the gap ... en die skeuring in 'n party soos wat die geval is in die DA. [... and the split in a party, as is the case in the DA.]
In Hermanus the DA provincial leader, Theuns Botha, told the media that the executive mayoral system "was the single biggest downfall of the ANC". Despite these statements, Helen Zille told The Cape Times in an article that appeared on 8 March 2006, that she would "support any municipal system".
Contrary to all these promises made during the election campaign and in their manifesto, the DA signed an agreement with smaller parties stipulating, according to The Cape Times of 16 March, that the mayoral system under an executive mayor and with 10 mayoral committee seats is to stay. Clearly, power and the position of mayor are more important than the ... [Interjections.]
On a point of order, Madam Chair, the hon member is not addressing the subject for discussion; he is talking about ... [Interjections.]
No! I don't know; you are out of order. Sit down.
I can see that the hon Watson is used to giving out orders, but the ANC won't adhere to the DA's orders ... [Interjections.] Clearly power and the position of mayor is more important to the DA than their promises to the electorate.
Pink letters of demand were sent to residents of Tafelsig during the election campaign in Tafelsig. The mayor promised residents that these letters would be stopped, but again it shows that the promises were made just to get the votes. The people of Tafelsig and other areas, hon Watson, are still receiving these letters, which is another broken promise by the DA-led council.
The core message of the DA during the municipal election revolved around the notion of "Take back your city" which was directed at whipping up emotions amongst the white community particularly, and taking it to its logical and barely disguised conclusion "... from these inept Africans". Also still focused on the white community, was the poster "Bly getrou" [Remain loyal], suggesting that whites should stand together against Africans.
These two slogans "Take back your city" and "Bly getrou" [Remain loyal.] are reminiscent of the slogans used by the Conservative Party in the 1980s to rally the white folk against the "verligtes" [liberals]. The Conservative Party's version of "take back your city" was: "Klou aan wat joune is". [Cling to what is yours].
The other version of the election campaign was targeted at the coloured community with slogans like, "Stop ANC's racism". The DA mayor, Helen Zille, was even more crude when she said in The Cape Times of 28 February 2006 that the ANC-led council was "applying rigid racial quotas for city contracts and employment".
It was said:
It makes no sense, for example, for the ANC to apply national demographics to government appointments and contracts in this region, and individuals have been identified as a group on the basis of their skin colour and singled out for privileged access by government policy.
In the Cape Times of 2 February 2006, she said that, in order to meet employment equity target that reflect national instead of local demographics, municipal employees are pushed out for having the wrong skin colour. She went on to say that, in housing allocations, the decision to build the N2 Gateway in Langa - another lie - was an indication to many coloured residents that they were being left behind because of their race.
The theme of the incompetence of Africans was evident in the DA response to the electricity outages in the Western Cape ... [Interjections.]
Order! I seem to think that the members of the House don't know the difference between interjections and conversing aloud here. You are conversing with each other across the floor.
The theme of the incompetence of Africans was evident in the DA's response to the electricity outages in the Western Cape, where they tacitly blamed highly-paid black managers for the outages the city was facing. A DA councillor, Ian Neilson, was quoted in The Cape Times of 22 February 2006 as saying:
There may be numerous competent people at mid-management and lower levels who knew something was needed and said so, but the problem is that in most cases the new managers no longer have the depth of technical understanding of the problems that Cape Town faces now - three years of ANC government with one year of low-tech senior managers have led to inadequate performance.
A "new manager" is a code for African managers, all of whom, according to Neilson, lack the competence to undertake the running of a city like Cape Town.
The DA used, in particular, the allocation of land at Big Bay and the issue of Jewellery City to claim the presence of corruption in the ANC-led metro council, yet it was the DA that sold the Big Bay land without tender to a specific company below its real value and in disregard of the black economic empowerment policy in 2001.
The DA used crude radio advertising and pamphlets in their last campaign to claim that coloureds were not white enough during apartheid and that now they are not black enough in the free and democratic South Africa. They mixed their message with a sustained attack on the ID in the last by- elections.
I want to pose three questions. As far as I understand, when the mayor wrote a letter to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on 5 June, the letter was received by the Minister's office at 10h00 or 10h03. But then between 12h00 and 12h07 the media had received the letter. Is this ethical? The Minister never had a chance to reply; where are the ethics of the DA? Instead, the mayor discussed these issues through the media.
The second thing is the issue of the consortium that did not meet the deadlines. The tender was opened publicly. Who is this consortium whose tender was accepted after the deadline? If the DA can just give us the names we would appreciate that, instead of misleading this House.
We have three types of units: Phase 1 has one bedroom and a bathroom; and Phase 2 has two bedrooms and a bathroom, and three bedrooms and a bathroom. The question that must be answered is: Did we get value for our money? Some of our backyard dwellers will be much better off financially by moving to the N2 Gateway than staying in the backyards and the slums.
I want to end my speech now and I want the hon Watson to listen. Employ the entire nation as if you are employing a single person. Employ them and give them actual tasks. Motivate them with benefits. Do not harm them. That's what the ANC wants. Employ the nation like one person. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, today we will hear the truth about the issue of the N2 Gateway Project. One can start by saying that housing is a second-generation right as enshrined in our Constitution. The ANC-led government believes in the rule of law. Because South Africa is a constitutional state, the Constitution should be followed to the letter and the spirit.
Housing in South Africa was based on apartheid spatial planning, which meant that the poor were located far from the places of opportunities and economic activities. Whites were closer to the city, the Indians a bit further away and then the coloureds, with the Africans the furthest away. This is what you had in this country. That also ensured that our people spent a lot of money travelling from their places of work, coming from those ghettos that were established.
The ANC-led government was faced with a choice, whether to perpetuate the status quo or reverse the apartheid planning and build a nonracial, nonsexist society. The ANC-led government chose the latter, namely that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. Cities and towns belong to all, including places of economic opportunities. Cape Town as a city cannot be exclusive. Cape Town cannot be in isolation and cannot be an enclave either; and definitely Cape Town cannot be a "Boerestad".
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa raised an issue in Chapter 3 that talks about co-operative governance; saying that all spheres of government are interdependent and also interrelated. We have passed a law here in this august House, which is called the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act of 2005. The provisions of this Act are taking co-operative governance further by ensuring that there must be co-operation at all levels of government in this country.
The Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu, established a structure called M3. This structure called M3 is a structure of the Minister, the MEC and the mayor. This structure had been working very well before we had the local elections. The intention of this structure was to ensure that decision- making is fast-tracked, and blockages and obstacles removed in order to ensure that delivery happens with speed.
In terms of facts, since the coming in of Mayor Zille, three meetings have been convened and she has not attended one of them. During the last one she sent an apology when the meeting had already started. On the same day, she leaked the information to the media about the letter that she had written to the Minister. This means she is undermining and violating the Constitution of this country and the laws of this country on co-operative governance, as stated in Chapter 3.
If she had an issue to raise, in terms of the laws of this country she was supposed to raise them at appropriate platforms, such as the intergovernmental structures. She should not use cheap publicity to outline her views. We are saying to Mayor Zille: Go back to the M3 structure because that is where you can raise your issues. You can't raise your issues and be heard if you use the media as a form of communication.
Ms Robinson says that the city will build more houses than national and provincial government combined. [Interjections.] This is a fact: The city cannot build more houses, as you stated. It has no constitutional or legislative powers to do so. The building of houses is a national and provincial function and therefore it means you will actually be acting outside the law and the Constitution of this land. We are a constitutional state.
The metros in Gauteng contribute to the top-up of housing to improve quality. On average, they contribute R4 000 per home. The Durban metro contributes R10 000 as a top-up per home so as to improve quality. Lets hear about the City of Cape Town. What is your contribution? [Interjections.] During Mayor Zille's reign, nothing has been budgeted for in terms of housing. During the reign of mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, when the ANC ruled, they budgeted for housing. When Mayor Zille came into power, she took the last R50 million that was in the budget and shifted it somewhere else. These are the facts. How can she build more houses than the national and provincial governments combined?
I want to debunk another lie and myth. They say that there was no money, and that there was an overrun. A total of R900 million was budgeted for the N2 Gateway project. As we speak today, over R400 million has been spent. Can you say then that there was no money whilst in the budget there is the sum of R900 million and only R400 million has been spent? Can you talk about an overrun? That is not true. You are misleading the public and even yourselves; and you believe your own lies when you raise these issues. [Applause.]
All of us know that this project was an experiment that was saying, "Let us look at how can we ensure that the three spheres of government can work together at the highest level to ensure that they can take decisions faster at a policy level, and at the same time ensure that the officials can implement." These were the objectives of the project.
I want to read that to you, Mrs Robinson, because it seems that you don't know the truth ...
Hon member, please address Mrs Robinson through the Chair.
Thank you. Let me quote:
To facilitate inter- and intrasettlement integration; to enable urban restructuring and renewal; to design and deliver products that offer tenure diversification - rental, rent to own, mortgage homes and BNG homes etc; to improve settlement design; to implement mechanisms that will assist with the eradication of poverty; to facilitate the greater responsiveness to livelihood strategies; and to ensure active participation of all spheres of government to achieve a common goal.
Those were the objectives. I must tell you that as things unfold, these objectives are on track, save to say that the city is a stumbling block. The city is not assisting in this project. What is more important is that the ANC supports the dispute that has been declared by the Minmec against Mayor Zille.
We are following the prescripts of our Constitution and of our Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act. That is what we are doing. We are saying to Mayor Zille: Deliver to your people and that is what you must focus on. As the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Local Government, I am saying that I am watching the city with hawk-eyes. What I want to do is to get all reports around the forensic audit, which is my constitutional right as chairperson.
I am saying that if you continue to conduct a forensic audit on the N2 Gateway, that might be a fruitless expenditure. The Auditor-General, who is the highest authority in this country in terms of auditing the finances of government, is doing that on the purview of the Minister and through the initiative of the Minister. If you do any other thing, we will hold you accountable for that because there is a lot of laws that govern this country in that respect.
I want to conclude by requesting Mayor Zille to follow the Constitution, and not only the Constitution but also the laws of this country. The DA believes that it is an organisation that believes in a constitutional state. If you do so, you must act accordingly. You must not say that you are somebody and then you don't act accordingly. Whatever you preach, you must practice. That is what we are requesting from you from this platform.
The N2 Gateway project is going to go ahead - with or without you. Our people are going to get quality service delivery. They will be better off than staying in the shacks and in those informal settlements that you see. They will be there in those flats and walk-ups. That is what we want to see with our people. Their dignity must be restored and therefore that's what we will preach as a movement, the people's movement and the glorious movement. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, in defence of Minmec, M3 and the provincial government, I want to respond to a few issues. Before I do that, let me assure this House, in marching forward, that the Western Cape provincial government is not going to be deterred by all the noise that is being made by people who don't want us to march forward and take care of the poor and deliver the services we are supposed to be delivering.
We are already rolling out, beyond the N2, lots of pilot projects to demonstrate the human settlement programme the Minister has initiated. I also want to assure this House that, as an MEC for local government and housing, the City of Cape Town is under my jurisdiction. [Interjections.] [Applause.] I am happy, member Shiceka; I did not want to warn them.
Chairperson, on a point of order: The hon member is misleading this House. The local government of Cape Town is not under his jurisdiction. The same Constitution says there are three spheres of government. He must withdraw. [Interjections.]
Hon Watson, that is not a point of order. Thank you. You may continue, hon member.
Thank you, Chair. Whatever the member says, as an MEC I play an oversight role over all municipalities. [Interjections.]
I am therefore saying I am glad that member Shiceka raised the point. I did not want to warn them about issues of fruitless expenditure and all of that. All of those are monitored on a daily basis.
I quickly want to respond to some of the issues, because sometimes when issues are ...
Hon member, are you raising a point of order?
Yes, Deputy Chairperson. On a point of order, hon Watson said the MEC is misleading this House. The term "misleading" is not parliamentary.
Thank you, hon Sogoni. I have already informed the hon Watson that he is out of order. Thank you. You may continue.
Thank you, Chair. I want to thank all members who contributed to this debate. I sat here as a representative of the provincial government and listened to you regarding all the issues you raised.
However, I want to raise a few issues in relation to what the hon member Robinson raised in this House. Firstly, she spoke about the issue of mismanagement. Quite clearly, as Minmec, we did take the position that we had nothing to hide, hence the step taken by the Minister in asking the Auditor-General to investigate any issues. When that is tabled, we are going to make our own pronouncement on those issues. We have to move away from making allegations that are not substantiated.
She went further and spoke about announcements and targets not met, and I want to respond to that. I think the ID member raised the issue about the pilot project, and there is a lot to learn from that. Just to demonstrate, without being pressured and without being asked, one of the key lessons that we have learned from this relates to the issue of the capacity of municipalities.
The City of Cape Town proved not to have the kind of capacity to drive and implement housing delivery. That is the reason why the Minister appointed Thubelisha to drive this project, because, quite clearly, the City of Cape Town over all these years was only able to deliver, as I said, fewer than 7 000 houses. And here you had a project that wanted to deliver 22 000 houses.
Thubelisha has been appointed and this is part of a key lesson that we have learned. So, if you talk about issues that concern targets and the slow pace, I think you have to go back to see how you can help this city. These are not issues that come from the Minister or ourselves. We are putting things in place to improve that capacity. So I don't think this can be an issue that you can raise here and score some points on.
I think you have also made the point that work began before contracts were signed. So what? [Laughter.] Clearly, I stood here and made the point that this is a pilot project. This is a pilot project in which we are testing a number of issues. We are testing the pace of what we want to do and deliver with speed. [Interjections.] We are testing many other things, so if it happened that we laid the first brick before a contract was signed, I again ask: so what, because today you have those houses standing there?
Everything else we did, we are very convinced we did within legal means. It is a pilot project. Every inspection was done. Everything was done. It is a pilot project and that we can attest to. We are saying that we are going to have people occupying those homes without any problems. [Interjections.] That's important, therefore, that when you come ...
Hon Krumbock! Hon Krumbock, will you please not converse with the member speaking. Thank you.
We were very clear from the very beginning that we were not going to follow the normal bureaucratic channels that were blocking housing delivery. Therefore you have to understand those issues in that particular context.
Member Robinson raised the issue of priorities being shifted, that those monies were taken away and then channelled into the N2. I want to put facts here categorically and make them very clear. The very first thing that Mayor Zille did - and please write this down - when she came in was to take money amounting to R31 million away from housing projects in terms of hostel development in Nyanga and other areas. She shifted that to fire services. Please write that down. [Interjections.]
The reason she did that was because, in her campaign - in the DA's campaign - fire services was their top priority. Therefore they had to take this money away from needy people and give it to fire services. [Interjections.] The DA must look at itself. Don't come here and score points when you don't have the facts.
Let me move further on. I think I do want to repeat this point, which I also made last night on Special Assignment. I take serious exception to anybody who would stand on any platform and say that the kind of efforts that this government is making are about vote-catching. Our work is about delivering to needy people and poor people. [Interjections.] They have nothing to do with the elections or vote-catching. I can understand that this can only be said by people who don't care about the needy and the poor. [Interjections.]
I beg to differ; I sincerely beg to differ!
The next point she raised, I think, relates to the issue of the availability of funds. Again, let me make the point categorically clear: The N2 project, and perhaps other mega projects, are not fund-driven. You don't have a big pool of funds and then decide what you want to do. They are needs-driven. There are needs that we are responding to, and, in the process of that, getting funds becomes a worked- on process. We have to get that kind of thinking so that other members begin to understand that.
I think member Shiceka made the point that if there are any challenges with the N2 Gateway, it is not because we ran out of funds. This relates to issues of capacity, construction complexities and all of those issues. When members stand here, they must speak the truth.
In defence of Minister Sisulu who is not here today, I want to respond to member Robinson who also raised the point about a rescheduled meeting that she could not attend. I want to stand here and say that there is no truth in that statement. [Interjections.]
We are not surprised.
It is the truth, it is the truth!
We met on 1 June and the City of Cape Town, quite clearly, could not finish a budget meeting that it held on 31 May. It ran over and did not even send a representative to that meeting. They could not send a single person, because they needed those votes. That is the issue here on the table, not somebody not being informed. [Interjections.]
The other issue I want to raise in relation to them is that they claimed here that they are going to build houses. The reason why they claimed that they are going to build houses is because of that constitutional obligation.
The Mayor of Cape Town has gone around and has met with about three banks, promising that they are going to use those banks to build what we call GAP housing. They are not saying that they met with the banks as a result of the work that was done by Minister Sisulu. Minister Sisulu has met with all the banks, and the banks have committed themselves to providing R42 billion. What they did was to piggyback on the work done by Minister Sisulu. [Interjections.] It was not their own initiative, and we have to table those kinds of facts.
Quite clearly, in terms of their policies, we are monitoring that trend, because they are going to be focusing - you must watch this space - on skinning the poor. They are not going to be providing any services to the unemployed poor. They are going to be using the banks to build for those that can buy the houses. And we are going to stop that process, because it is not helping to build a home for all in this province.
I want to stand here and make the point quite categorically as well that when it comes to the N2 Gateway project that we have in the Western Cape, there has never been anything to compare it to in this province. You can go anywhere else: The quality and the type of flats that we have, have never been built before in this province in the way that they have been in terms of the N2 Gateway project. It is new to them - no wonder they are up in arms. This is something they could not do in 40 years, and we are doing it in less than a year. We have to understand this in that context. [Applause.] Please watch this space.
I want to continue to assure this House by saying that we are not going to break down intergovernmental relations simply because ... sinoSodolophu ofuna ukudlala upuca sisebenza [... we have a mayor who wants to play games while we work].
We have built intergovernmental relations in this country and we have to utilise that platform. I support member Shiceka when he says that when they are done with playing marbles, the door will be open for them to come back. But we are not going to wait for the City of Cape Town to play these kinds of games. We have a programme and a vision here to build a home for all in this province, and we will do whatever it takes to get to that point.
The N2 Gateway project, for the information of this House, is part of our Asgisa contribution in this province and, therefore, it is not going to go away; nobody's going to stop it. You will also be witnessing us handing over houses to new beneficiaries and we are not going to stop there. We will continue "kuze kuyovalwa" [up to the end]. Enkosi. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
I thank the hon MEC for local government and housing in the Western Cape. Thank you, hon Dyantyi. Order! I have been informed by the Whippery that there will be one speakers' list for the First and Second Orders of the Day.