House Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, MECs, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, we really thank you, hon Minister, for the vision you have for 2030. We hope and trust that you will accomplish your goal and we support this vision. The Freedom Charter says there shall be houses for all and as we strive to give houses to all we know that this challenge is not easy. [Interjections.]
I agree with what you said in your speech, hon Minister, namely that a house is an asset and that human settlement can become one of the biggest drivers of the local economy. What you say is true - big companies with the proper resources and tools can build quality houses. However, would you also agree that they have a social responsibility towards the community where they are building? If so, they must assist the small, upcoming contractors by economically empowering them so that they too can capacitate themselves and also become successful while building the future of this country and as part of the mainstream economy of this country. There is no point in using big companies to build infrastructure if they are not willing to transfer quality skills to the smaller, upcoming contractors so that there is equal opportunity for all.
We welcome the 2% increase in the budget, even though it is minimal. Given inflation, you won't even see that 2% increase. I urge my colleagues, as members of committees and of this House, to put pressure on Treasury to give this department more money in order to build better and bigger houses and to create more jobs. That is very important.
If we are saying that we are going to create jobs, make people's lives better and grow the economy locally, then this department is one of the departments that must get more money - R25 billion is too little. Remember where we are coming from. There were no houses. A house is an asset and we need to give our people an asset for them to be proud of this new democracy.
Hon Minister, is it possible to have a national database within the department that will effectively assist the department to curb the number of members of the public who own more than one government-subsidised house in this country? If we had a system like that, we would in fact be assisting the poor to become homeowners.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, Sekela Ngqongqoshe, inhloko yoMnyango wakho, abahlonishwa abakhona, sikubeka ngokucacile ukuthi Inkatha isekela iSabiwomali soMnyango Wezindawo Zokuhlaliswa Kwabattu kepha kunezinto eziyinselele okungezona ukuthi lo Mnyango ungafaka izimali ezinkulu ngemuva kwalokho ungabi nendlela yokuqapha leyo mali ethunyelwa ezifundazweni nakomasipala uqobo.
Ngiyakuncoma mhlonishwa ngoba uyavuma ukuthi lezi izinselele uMnyango wakho obhekene nazo. Njengendoda yasemakhaya eluse izinkomo ngithi kukhona okunye, KwaNongoma e-ward 15 edolobheni engisuka kulona, idolobhana lomlando wempi yakwaNdunu kunezinto ezithile ezenzeka ngowezi-2008 lapha uMnyango kahulumeni wathembisa ukwakhela abantu izindlu. Kulelo wadi amakhansela amathathu, amabili eNkatha nelilodwa likaKhongolose, aye ahlangana ahlala phansi avumelana ngokuthi kufanele babheke ukuthi yibaphi abantu abahlupheka kakhulu nokufanele bakhelwe izindlu. Zavunyelwa lezo zindlu.
Lezi zinto kuze kube manje azikaze zenzeke. Asazi ukuthi yini inkinga yakhona. E-Ward 14 KwaNongoma, kunezindlu eziyi-1000 ezivunyelwe kuleya ndawo, lezo zindlu zavunyelwa ngonyaka wezi-2009 kodwa kuze kube manje lezo zindlu azakhekile. Kunomkhuba okhona, kuthiwa kunendonda, ethi uma kugcwaliswa amafomu ezindlu zikakahulumeni kumele abantu bakhokhe o-R10. Kungiphatha kabi ukuthi umhloniswa uNgqongqoshe Wesifundazwe usehambile, phela lezo izinto okumele azeluse ngoba ubhekelene nalowo Mnyango. Inkohlakalo ngeze nakancane sayisekela noma ngabe kuthiwa yenziwa nguNkulunkulu, noma nguBayede iNgonyama yesizwe samaZulu. Ngeke sayiseka inkohlakalo ngoba kulapho izinto zonakala khona.
Kumele wazi mhlonishwa ukuthi kukhona abantu bakithi abafudukayo bayosebenza eGoli. Izindawo ezifana namahostela ase-Vosloorus, izindawo ezingemukeleki ukuthi kuhlale khona abantu. Lezo izindawo engazi kahle ukuthi azakhiwangwa nguhulumeni okhona kodwa zakhiwe nguhulumeni wobandlululo. Izindawo ezifana ne-Dalton, Alexandra, Wema, Unit T 17 naseThokoza hostel eThekwini izindawo zonke okufanele nizibheke.
Kumele nibheke izimali enizinika omasipala ngoba omasipala banesabiwomali esikhulu kabi, kusafuneka ukuthi niphinde nihlole. Kwenzekanjani ngoba kunamafemu amakhulu akhokha izimali komasipala. Kungakho izinkece zomphakathi zidliwa. Ngiyathemba ukuthi ningenza zonke izinto ezifanele ukubhekisisa ukuthi izimali ezikhishiwe zisetshenziswa njani.
Ngiyathemba ukuthi ubuhlwempu bethu nokungabi nalutho mhlawumbe ekugcineni sizogcina sisizakala njengabantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngoba kulawula uMthethosisekelo wezwe, ukuthi wonke umuntu kumele abenendlu ahlala kuyo. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, the head of your department, all the dignitaries present, we want to state clearly that the IFP supports the budget for the Department of Human Settlements. However, the challenge we are faced with is that the department is allocated these large sums but fails to monitor their proper utilisation in the provinces and at local government level.
I commend you, hon Minister, for admitting that your department is indeed faced with these challenges. As a man from the country, who grew up herding cows, I wish to add something else. In ward 15 at Nongoma, the town I am from, a small town historically known for the battle of Ndunu Hill, there are certain things that happened in 2008, when the department promised to build houses for the people. In that ward, three councillors, two from the IFP and one from the ANC, met and agreed on building houses for the poorest people. The building of the houses was approved.
Not even one of those things has happened. We do not know what the problem is. In Ward 14 at Nongoma, the building of 1 000 houses had been approved in 2009, but until now the houses have not been built. Something is wrong. People say there is a man who demands R10 from everyone who fills in the application forms for the houses. I am sorry that the hon MEC has left already; it is his duty to monitor these things because he has to see to the proper functioning of that department. We will never support corruption, even if it is committed by God himself, or by His Royal Highness the Zulu King. We will never support it because that is where things go wrong.
I have to inform you, hon Minister, that some of our people move to Johannesburg to work there. Places like the Vosloorus hostels are not suitable for human habitation. I know very well that these places were not built by the present government but by the apartheid one. Places like Dalton, Alexandra, Wema, Unit T 17 and Thokoza hostel in Durban must also be considered.
You have to monitor the money that you allocate to the municipalities, since the amounts are really large. You have to look into this again. What is really happening, since there are big companies that pay municipalities? That is the reason public funds are being misused. I hope you can do all that is required to see to it that allocated funds are used properly.
I hope that, given our poverty and destitution, we will benefit in the end because all South Africans are governed by the Constitution of the country, which states that everyone has the right to have a house to live in. Thank you. [Applause.]]