I hope they do that because this is the first Human Settlements Budget Vote. [Laughter.] Secondly, significant progress has been made in building the capacity of municipalities through our municipal accreditation processes.
Thirdly, significant gains have been made in strengthening partnerships with the homeless and civil society, including Sanco.
Fourthly, new channels of communication with the public have been opened. Numerous communities were visited to hear first-hand their issues. This is similar to what the President has done in visiting many areas recently.
Fifthly, regarding parliamentary questions from colleagues, our records indicate that over 100 questions had been responded to during the current session. This oversight is welcomed. However, we note that questions tend to focus more on subsidies than on the broader issues of human settlement. There is, we believe, room for improvement.
Sixthly, regarding our legislative programme, the overarching legislation upon which the development of human settlements is founded - the Housing Act - will be subject to review. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Bill and the Community Schemes Ombud Service Bill will be introduced to Parliament in the course of this year. Also on the horizon is an indaba on alternative technologies, to ensure access to the myriad new ideas and products that have been developed by the private sector.
There are areas of concern and it would be remiss of us not to highlight some fundamental challenges to the delivery of sustainable human settlements. The first relates to what we characterise as the "legalisation of illegality". This refers to the negative impact of unintended consequences emanating from certain landmark judicial rulings on the human settlements mandate. In some cases, court rulings have forced the amendment of human settlements policy, with severe and unplanned budgetary consequences.
The most recent far-reaching ruling is the one that was quoted in this House against the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, where the city was ordered to pay rent to a private property owner on behalf of illegal occupiers until alternative accommodation has been found for them.
While being dutifully circumspect about the constitutional independence of the judiciary, the Ministry of Human Settlements is concerned about rulings that could virtually collapse government budgets and plans where unlawful behaviour - in this case, the illegal occupation of land and buildings - is legitimised by a series of court rulings; hence my reference to the "legalisation of illegality" by the courts. My colleague, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe, has been mandated by Cabinet to take the lead towards a resolution of this question. Of equal concern are bureaucratic blockages, which affect every step of the human settlements delivery chain.
As part of its outcomes-based approach, government has resolved that we must make our work simpler, reduce compliance work that adds no value, and focus our energies on the new deliverables and do them well.
This is my parting shot - we would like to focus on two very positive areas of work: war on waste and war on corruption. Cabinet decided collectively that departments should control and cut costs.
Preliminary expenditure reports for the 2009-10 financial year indicate that we have saved R53,2 million in operational expenditure. [Applause.] This includes a saving of R20,6 million in cuts to travel and subsistence; R24,4 million in cuts on our advertising budget; and R3,3 million in cuts on administrative fees. An additional R31 million was saved from personnel expenditure and R34 million from transfers to our institutions.
Finally, as the House is aware, there is an ongoing battle against corruption. I appointed a national audit task team last November, headed by the Special Investigating Unit, with Willie Hofmeyr as the head. The task team is hard at work tracking down those responsible for corruption, abuse and malpractices.
To date, 1 570 officials have been arrested, of whom 1 189 have been convicted, and R38 million has been recovered. [Applause.] This process has also seen five lawyers struck off the roll - and more are to follow. [Applause.]
Colleagues, corruption has become endemic in our society and needs to be rooted out. This much must be very clear: We are undeterred in our resolve to eradicate this plague, which is so debilitating to our society. I thank you. [Applause.]