Yes, Chair there is. Minister, having listened to the response, one of the challenges I highlighted by the Department of Planning and Monitoring in our engagement with them is on the evaluation of the work of the Department of Human Settlements.
What plans does the department have in place to ensure that the informal settlement upgrading as you have just spoken to, is really accelerated and implemented through community based participants because the outcry by communities is that this commitment you are making of late is not known to them. They are not part and parcel of the process.
What is the plan in making them participate and be part of the issues especially in the budgetary review and recommendation report, BRR we raised the issue that our communities seem to be very afar from what you are doing and the plan is not necessarily
talking to them being part of the process? I will appreciate that document that you were just talking about.
The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, WATER AND SANITATION: Hon
Mashego I'm not aware of the fact that our communities are not informed about what plans we have for them because this is part of the responsibility of every provincial Department of Human Settlements.
However, we will follow this up and make sure that it is known so that our communities are part and parcel of the work we are doing. May I continue to the second part of the question?
Hon Mashego wants to know and I think it is tied to what he is talking about here. What we are doing in ensuring that the housing code is changed into human settlements code. I need to say to hon Mashego right from the onset that yes, we are behind in changing the housing code into the human settlements code precisely because of the enormity of the responsibility that comes before we get to the code.
In the first place we have to enact legislation, the changes from Housing Act into the Human Settlements Act. The concept of human
settlements came into this country around 2005 and only came into effect gazetted by the Presidency in 2009. Various periods, in which various Ministers have been at this department, attempts have been made to get the legislation put in place but there have been so many interruptions.
However, there is a process in place that is going to enable us to ensure that we can fast track the legislation. After the legislation has been fast tracked and has been passed then the code will kick in.
The reason why the hon member is asking about the housing code is that deals directly with the issue of municipalities and how municipalities will constantly ensure that in partnership with the municipal budget is attending to this particular problem.