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.