Chairperson, I hope you will give me the time I lost because of the confusion. It is envisaged that the massive infrastructure development project announced and outlined by the President in the 2012 state of the nation address will, among other achievements, result in the creation of new human settlements in relevant parts of the country. It is also hoped that many communities will subsequently benefit from jobs created and houses built. Hopefully, the success of this programme will lead to a consequent reduction in the number of protests witnessed throughout the country over the past few years.
According to the Trends Analysis and Explanations Report of Community Protests in South Africa, Gauteng accounted for 31,46% of the protests, followed by the Western Cape with 17,05% and the North West with 11,9%. Unfortunately, these protests can be violent in nature, resulting in destruction of both public and private property. Sometimes there is loss of life. We cannot forget the killing of Andries Tatane by police in Ficksburg in 2011.
Reasons cited by protestors include the poor quality and inadequacy of housing. According to the General Household Survey conducted by Statistics SA, housing delivery is not just slow, but the quality is poor. In its report on the public hearings on housing finance held in October last year, the Financial and Fiscal Commission makes similar observations regarding the inadequacy and poor quality of houses.
It is a well-known fact that all provinces, without exception, sit with shoddy and poor workmanship. We've all seen with dismay the poorly built houses allocated to the poor by various municipalities. Sometimes it is as if the government is, in fact, condemning the poor to poverty and misery. RDP houses in Tarkastad in the Chris Hani District Municipality tell a sad story. In many of the houses no provision was made for toilets. One wonders how such a plan could have been approved. Where toilets do exist, they are not connected to the water system. The people of this township, including the elderly, must go to the nearest bush or hill to answer nature's call.
It is no exaggeration, hon Minister, that in some settlements, such as Kubusie, Xholora and Sophumelela in Amahlathi Municipality in the Eastern Cape, Riverside in KwaZulu-Natal and many others, the houses are indeed falling apart, as was observed by the hon Figlan, a former member of this portfolio committee, in a question he directed to you, hon Minister. In these places the infrastructure, such as roads, is either poorly maintained or lacking altogether. We are talking here about 3 million plus housing units constructed in this way. At what cost to the taxpayer, we may never know.
However, let me be quick to say, as you have indicated, hon Minister, that the poor workmanship of the RDP houses built to completion has been identified and acknowledged by the government. The time has come to move away from quantity to quality housing. This is to be applauded, as it creates an opportunity for all South African stakeholders to engage constructively and find solutions.
The current fully subsidised housing scheme has resulted in dependency on the state to provide housing for the poor. It has also created negative incentives, with corrupt councillors controlling the lists of beneficiaries in order to benefit themselves. The policy has failed to encourage individuals, households and the private sector to invest and participate in the housing market. Occupants of RDP houses cannot claim to be the full owners, as they hold no title deeds to the houses they occupy.
Cope acknowledges that the concept of creating sustainable human ... [Interjections.]