‘Do more with less’ - Simmers
Municipalities must learn to do more with fewer resources. So said Western
Cape Minister Tertuis Simmers last week Thursday during a briefing at the George Municipality. Simmers and his team presented the funding model of the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, whereafter they visited some of the Human Settlements sites.
Keeping in mind the inhibitive effect of the lockdown on the budget, he encouraged George Municipality to plan ahead and rezone to make use of all the pockets of land it is blessed with.
"See the bigger picture, expand and integrate," he advised. "Your municipality is blessed with land. Leadership is about foresight, not hindsight."He said the middle income section of the economy has been left out in the cold for many years and that assistance in this regard will be a focus point.
He also strongly advocated full cooperation between all spheres of government to get things done quicker.
Going forward
George Mayor Leon van Wyk said there should be more comprehensive planning and a clearer view of what needs to be done regarding housing opportunities, and discussion with the department is much-needed.
Municipal Manager Trevor Botha said there is a huge market for Gap housing in George. He emphasised the importance of attracting investors to George. "Our bulk services must be tip top." He said insufficient grant funding is one of the biggest challenges, but, "we do what we have to do with what we have".
Director of Human Settlements Charles Lubbe said one of the challenges is that many Flisp
(Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme) housing beneficiaries don't qualify for loans.
The provincial department will revisit George later to present the concept of home vouchers – a prequalifying letter from the department stating that a beneficiary qualifies for a certain amount, which a beneficiary could submit at the bank.
District Mayor Memory Booysen said he truly believes that George, the district and the provincial department should join forces. "There are lots of pockets of land in George that belong to the Department of Public Works. Some are on strategic areas. They have been lying there for many, many years. With your guidance and assistance we can get Public Works to come to the table as well," he said.