Hon Speaker, one in four South Africans can't find work. Over 2 million South Africans live in poverty. Half of them live in informal settlements. In his state of the nation address, the hon President mentioned the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality. He acknowledged that the most vulnerable South Africans suffer most from this challenge. The DA agrees with you, sir.
The question is: What can we do to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens are given the opportunities they deserve to lift themselves out of poverty? That is the question we ask ourselves every day, wherever we are in government or in the opposition. Part of the answer lies in the creation of sustainable human settlements. I say this because everybody needs a home; not just a house, but a home - a place to call their own, with electricity, running water and sanitation. A home is a place that a family can be proud of, a place where children can study in safety and comfort so that they can seize the opportunities their parents only dreamt about. Not just a house, but a home.
Mongwe le mongwe o tlhoka legae leo a ka ipelang ka lona. [Everyone needs a home that they can be proud of.]
We didn't hear much about housing in the President's address last week. The President did announce an important subsidy for people who are too poor to afford a house, but earn too much to qualify for a state-subsidised house. We welcome this announcement. But, Speaker, it has to be said that this is not new money. It is the money that the provinces will have to find in their existing housing budgets. This means that money will be taken away from other housing projects to be reallocated for this purpose.
I know that there are no easy answers to the housing shortage and backlog. But I also know that, with enough dedication and political will, it is possible to give far more people access to housing opportunities and basic services. I know this because that is what my party is doing where it governs.
Let me share with you the hard facts. In 2010 and 2011 the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements delivered 11 141 service sites. In the same year, the number of individual subsidies approved to beneficiaries in the R0 to R3 500 category was 752, far exceeding the department's target of 450, Minister Manuel. The Western Cape's department of human settlements has also developed a new project management system that will allow for greater transparency and efficiency in the delivery of houses. In the City of Cape Town, the provision of free services has been improved in all informal settlements on unencumbered land.
Again, in 2010 and 2011, the City of Cape Town provided 7 472 housing opportunities and launched two large, ready to use, integrated housing development projects at Pelican Park and Scottsdene. These projects consist of a total of 5 500 housing units.
Lastly, in 2010 and 2011, the City of Cape Town's excellent accreditation record from the national Department of Human Settlements meant that it has been accredited to plan, approve and implement human settlement projects. This is an important step towards the accelerated delivery of housing opportunities.
We have achieved this by getting the basics right. No government is perfect, but any government can make progress if it follows some simple rules. The first rule is to appoint the right people in the right places. We don't do cadre deployment. The second rule is to clean up government so that the people's money is used for the people, not to enrich the politically connected. The third rule is to give people power to help themselves. Let the people become agents of change, not passive dependents of the state. Speaker, it is an unnecessary tragedy that 1,5 million state-subsidised houses have not been registered in the deeds registry. It means that people do not feel that they really own the homes they live in. It means that they cannot use their houses as security to obtain financing for entrepreneurial activity. The state of the nation address was an opportunity for the President to announce a drive to give people title deeds and a sense of ownership of their property so that it feels like more than just a house; so that it feels more like a home.
The speech was also an opportunity for the President to announce some truly innovative policies and alternative building technologies that could speed up the delivery of housing opportunities. He has to look no further than the work that we are doing just a few blocks from here in the Western Cape department of human settlements.
Let me just share three of them with you: Firstly, we have prioritised the in situ upgrading of informal settlements so that more people can benefit from access to clean water, sanitation and electricity, even if they don't have a state-subsidised house.
Secondly, we are increasing the delivery of high-density housing to bring people closer to public transport and economic opportunities. We want to undo the legacy of apartheid urban planning that has divided our people.
Lastly, we are encouraging public and private partnerships in integrated housing projects so as to build social cohesion. Tirisanommogo ya mmuso le set?haba, mmogo le boradikgwebo e botlhokwa thata. [The partnership between government and the community, including businesspeople, is very important.]
In conclusion, in an open-opportunity society, people are empowered to seize opportunities that a clean and efficient government offers them. That is the society we are working towards where we govern.
Re le mokgatlho wa DA, re rotloetsa batho go nna le boikarabelo le go tsaya karolo mo go tsa kago ya matlo. Gape re rotloetsa mmuso go thusa segolobogolo ba ba dikobodikhutshwane mme ra re mokodue go tsoswa o o itsosang. Mabogo dinku a thebana. Ke a leboga, Sebui. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[We, as the DA, encourage people to be responsible and to take part in the projects of house construction. We also encourage government to assist particularly the poor, even though we believe that help is given to those who try. People should help each other. Thank you, Speaker.]