Revised accreditation framework to guide housing administration

The human settlements sector will soon have a revised framework to guide municipalities’ administration of national housing programmes.

This follows the approval of the 2023 revised accreditation framework, which is aimed at ensuring municipalities can perform the delegated functions without compromising delivery.

The framework was approved on Friday September 15, after a presentation tabled at a meeting between human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, deputy minister Pam Tshwete and provincial MECs of human settlements, where it received resounding support.

Kubayi said: “Allowing municipalities to build capacity bolsters our long-term objective of making municipalities selfsufficient in human settlements delivery.

“This way, we capacitate them while ensuring that we reach our targets,” Kubayi said.

The minister noted that the implementation of the 2012 accreditation framework faced several implementation challenges in some provinces.

She said the 2023 revised accreditation framework introduced a programme-based incremental approach, wherein municipalities were to be accredited for implementing programmes that were relevant to their capacity and needs.

“Another intervention is the role of intermediate city municipalities, which are catalysts for more balanced and dispersed growth across the country,” the minister said.

The MECs also agreed that the title deeds programme needed to be prioritised, including embarking on weekly roadshows to issue the 234,757 available title deeds nationally.

The municipalities were urged to refrain from storing title deeds in their offices and make concerted efforts to ensure that people become the rightful owners of their homes.

“The department has been incorporating the issuing of title deeds with housing handovers, given the urgency to unlock economic benefits,” Kubayi said.