Chairperson, Deputy Ministers and hon members, it is widely acknowledged that adequate shelter is a basic human right and basic need. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the right to adequate shelter has repeatedly been reaffirmed.
In South Africa, the right to housing is enshrined in the country's Constitution, with adequate shelter being central to everyone's quality of life, including health, economic, social and cultural aspects. Adequate shelter is more than a roof over one's head. That is why our national housing programme is not just about building houses but also about transforming our cities and towns into cohesive and nonracial communities.
In order to contribute to the end of the apartheid spatial arrangement, the ANC-led government is rolling out housing programmes closer to places of work and amenities. It is widely acknowledged that the shelter and housing needs of the largest section of our population are still unfulfilled and still growing.
Taking the case of Cape Town, 400 000 families are without adequate shelter, with a high annual rate of increase of 20 000 households per annum. This number is steadily growing. The ANC-led government has since 1994 been proactively engaged in the provision of housing to the poor, most significantly under the Reconstruction and Development Programme and, subsequently, the Breaking New Ground strategy.
The main approach to the housing problem is centered on the delivery of a finished building for the formerly disadvantaged to move into, with the beneficiaries sometimes getting a bonus in the form of work and training during the construction process.
It is in this context that the people remain expectant of government's delivering on housing and related services, repair and maintenance. It is a continuous programme, with buildings deteriorating fast in locations with high humidity and rainfall.
The National Framework for Sustainable Development adopted by the ANC-led government in June 2008 explicitly stated that South African cities and housing construction had to adopt sustainable resource-use guidelines. Since the promulgation of the Housing Act in 1997, housing policy development has increasingly emphasised the importance of sustainable livelihoods; such conditions were defined in the Act and subsequently further clarified with the policies and strategies, and also given content with the new funding arrangement.
The Comprehensive Housing Plan for the Development of Integrated Sustainable Human Settlements provides for not only the development of low- cost housing, medium-density accommodation and rental housing but also the promotion of the amenities to promote the achievement of a nonracial, integrated society. The current approach entails making available a top structure subsidy of R43 506 that must provide, as a minimum, a 40m2 gross area, two bedrooms, a separate bathroom with a toilet, shower and hand basin, and a combined kitchen and living area.
In Provincial Week of 6 to 10 September 2010, we visited all the provinces to do just that. We met with the leaders of various provincial legislatures and interacted with communities, in order to obtain first-hand information on the provincial issues and to ascertain that progress is being made in meeting the needs of the people and ensuring development in the communities where the people live.
Chairperson, we observed that KwaZulu-Natal had the largest backlogs in regard to housing delivery, while in Gauteng the Lufhereng Integrated Housing Development Project was launched, which will provide 24 000 housing opportunities for various market segments and will take approximately 7 to 10 years to complete. Sir, 37 mixed housing projects were developed, 153 serviced stands were completed, 300 houses were completed, and 2 446 houses have already been allocated to beneficiaries.
We observed that in the Limpopo area of the Waterberg District, where people are living in extreme poverty, an urgent need for housing exists. In the North West province 6 557 houses were constructed, 20 emerging women constructors were trained by the department and received practical training on site under mentorship, and six municipalities had been assisted with the completion of their housing sector plans.
Chairperson, I am only going to refer to the following issues of a general nature that were identified to a greater or lesser degree in all provinces. Housing backlogs are not only a challenge to one or two provinces but to the country as a whole, the reason being that some municipalities simply fail to submit business plans for their housing delivery.
There are also concerns about the quality of workmanship and materials used in the construction of houses that cause unacceptable defects such as roof leaks, damp walls, eroding foundations and cracks in the outer walls. Other structural problems arise as a result of poor soil conditions.
There are challenges with the transfer of the properties and issuing of the rates clearance certificates, while transfer to beneficiaries is delayed due to legal issues relating to the land.
Another challenge is the system and programme to deal with flood damage and other disasters, as well as insufficient funding in that regard.
The increase in the number of backyard dwellers raises concern, as these people are often neglected in the process of identifying beneficiaries for housing. Also of concern is the constant eviction and removal of, and lack of support and services to, backyard dwellers by the City of Cape Town and the provincial government, as well as a serious lack of housing, while existing houses are dilapidated and in a poor state of repair.
Chairperson, it is recommended, among others, that whilst the municipalities' building inspectors monitor the quality of the workmanship, the ultimate jurisdiction over and responsibility for this must rest with the provincial quality assurance unit and the material is to be specified by the province.
Also the projects are to be assessed on an ongoing basis, especially in regard to poor workmanship, and the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, is to be engaged with.
A further recommendation is that houses with serious structural defects or damage should be demolished and rebuilt.
Poor workmanship and inferior quality of materials should be identified - closer investigation is required - and the possibility of recovering damages should be investigated.
All projects should be evaluated to improve efficiency and to determine the quality and ensure that timelines are met.
The municipalities and provincial departments of housing should liaise closely ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]