WRITTEN REPLY
1. Question
1878.Dr L L Bosman, MP (DA) has asked the following question:
(1) Whether the Government has provided any type of housing for
farmworkers in the past ten years; if not, why not; if so, what
are the relevant details;
(2) whether the Government has provided any financial assistance to
farmers to provide housing for farm workers in the past ten
years; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
2. Reply
The Department is not in a position to respond to some aspects of the
question as the information on delivery achievements in this regard
must be obtained from the nine provincial departments responsible for
human settlements/housing. It is therefore proposed that an interim
reply be submitted to Dr Bosman, MP with an indication that the
remaining statistical information, if any, will be provided once
received from the provinces.
It is proposed that you respond to the question in the following
manner:
(1) The information regarding housing delivery for farmworkers is
being obtained from the nine provincial departments of human
settlements/housing and will be supplied as soon as it is
available.
Housing: MINMEC on 13 February 2009 approved a National
Programme: Farm Residents Housing Assistance. This Programme
has
specifically been designed to address the variety of housing
needs found
on farms. It provides clear guidelines for implementation and
does not
affect any current land rights.
In summary, the Programme provides for three development
scenarios. These are:
⪠The development of rental housing opportunities by the
farm owner on his/her land. The farmer may also make a
portion of the farm land available to a housing
institution in terms of secure tenure rights and the
housing institution could provide and maintain rental
housing stock on the farm on behalf of the beneficiaries;
⪠The farmer may decide to subdivide his/her land in terms
of prevailing agricultural land legislation and transfer
ownership of the subdivisions to the farm residents. The
Programme will provide individual ownership subsidies for
housing development by the farmer or a provincial
government or by the beneficiaries themselves through a
private developer. Beneficiaries may also elect to build
their own dwellings through the Peopleâs Housing Process;
and
⪠Housing solution for beneficiaries of the Labour Tenants
Strategy of the previous Department of Land Affairs. This
option also provides individual subsidies to beneficiaries
of agriculturare land access programmes to enable them to
construct houses.
My Department is in the process to develop a set of pro-forma
contract agreements that will assist with the implementation of
the
Programme. Where feasible and practicable, provinces may
commence
with the implementation of the Programme.
(2) No. The National Housing Programme only took effect on 13
Februrary 2009. Before this date, the Housing Programme did not
cater for the specific needs of farmworkers. However the
previous Department of land Affairs may have assisted certain
persons to access agriculture land and housing opportunities
during the past ten years. My Department does not have any
information in this regard.