Hon Minister, Chairperson, Ministers present, Deputy Ministers and colleagues, one of the problematic issues in the unavoidable urbanisation process in South Africa has been the provision of adequate housing for the increasing urban population.
Millions of hardworking South African families struggle to find homes within their budgets. They are often forced to commute long distances, or live in substandard housing or in overcrowded conditions, due to apartheid's spatial planning and the lack of a massive state-led housing programme, as you have just said, Minister. President Zuma himself has travelled the length and breadth of the country and visited poor communities that have been engaged in service delivery protests. He saw the hardship that people face.
When former Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu unveiled the Breaking New Ground policy in 2006, she announced that its aim was to eradicate informal settlements by 2014. In practice, however, the policy is leading to an increase in the number of unserviced shack settlements across the country. This is the result of natural population growth, escalating urbanisation and the growing influx of asylumseekers in our country. To put it differently, the crisis is not the lack of urban housing but the lack of real, substantive rural development. The crisis is a lack of jobs and support for rural people. If South Africa focused its energy on rural development, the poor and desperate would not flock to urban slums, seeking a better life in big cities.
Provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo still have more than 60% of their population living in rural areas. The IFP has always maintained that government clearly needs to focus on rural planning and begin to address rural development more meaningfully. We are proud that in his Budget Speech the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, started to identify the need for greater spending and better co-ordination in rural development.
After taking office in 2009, hon Mr Sexwale's admission of shortcomings in his department was a good starting point, and we applaud and commend that. The Minister was referring to the frequent allegations of corruption in the housing sector, in which houses were left without roofs, water schemes were breaking down, roads were crumbling in wet weather and corruption was taking place with regard to waiting lists, etc. For example, housing delivery in Cape Town has been hampered by the spat about the N2 Gateway project. In the Auditor-General's report there were lots of deficiencies that amounted to illegalities in the construction of phase 1. The national housing backlog is estimated to stand at 2,1 million houses, affecting about 12 million people. Up to 60% of this backlog is in urban areas.
The budget allocated to housing and community amenities has increased by 14% from R81 billion to about R93 billion in the current year. The additional R1 billion to assist middle-income citizens is welcomed by the IFP. However, considering the enormous housing backlog and the challenges of rapid urbanisation, we in the IFP think that the amount should have been greater.
The current housing budget is only 1,5% of the gross domestic product, GDP, as opposed to the norm in developing countries of 5%. However, since 1994, we have not been able to reach even the target of 3%. Therefore we are asking for more from Mr Gordhan. If the housing crisis is not mitigated, if we don't get more money, our beloved cities will face more crime, overcrowding, deteriorating health conditions and abuse of women and children. Housing, Minister, is a human right, as the committee chairperson has said.
In the Constitutional Court judgment of Government of South Africa and Others v Grootboom and Others, 2001(1) SA 46(CC), the court noted that the Constitution obliges the state to act positively to ameliorate the plight of people living in deplorable conditions in the country. The state must provide access to housing, health care, sufficient food and water. The court stressed that all the rights in the Bill of Rights are interrelated and mutually supportive. Human dignity, freedom and equality are denied to those who are without food, clothing and shelter.
This brings me, hon Minister, to the issue of hostels. This is the 10th Budget Vote on Housing and, lately, Human Settlements, in which I have participated. Every year I raise the plight of hostel residents in the public hostels. From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate your intervention, Minister, in this issue - your visits to the hostels and your statements - but they are not enough, unfortunately. They must translate into producing policy to deal with this legacy of the apartheid influx control law. A combination of bold policy decisions and budget is required to enable the state to deal with these unique situations once and for all.
Kuyihlazo Mhlonishwa ukuthi uma uMametja esuka ePhalaborwa eza eGoli ahlale emkhukhwini e-Alexandra, bese kuthi uMshaka asuke Emlazi azohlala ehositela eSoweto. [Kuphele isikhathi.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[It is a disgrace for Mametja who comes to Johannesburg from Phalaborwa to stay in a shack in Alexandra, when Mshaka who comes from Umlazi stays in a hostel in Soweto. [Time expired.]]
The IFP supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]