Chairperson, the ACDP is a party that is committed to the love and care of all people of South Africa. We would have voted against the Housing budget, were it not for the fact that we are very much aware of the dire need for proper quality housing in South Africa.
One issue that must be raised is the manner in which the department and the provincial partners are dealing with the N2 Gateway project. During the Minister's budget speech on 24 May this year, she indicated that the N2 Gateway will, as a pilot project, be duplicated elsewhere in the country.
It is our opinion that the government should concentrate on quality, but affordable, housing. The N2 Gateway project is not affordable, and does not address the immediate needs of those who are urgently in need of housing in the particular areas where these people are being housed.
In the interests of all South Africans and as part of the genuine commitment to address the housing backlog, government should review the N2 Gateway project, and other similar projects, so that realistic timeframes and funding mechanisms are determined. The ACDP will support this budget.