We should embrace informal settlements

View

IN KWAZULU-NATAL, we take pride in our service delivery track record. In the past financial year, the department delivered 38 302 housing opportunities. This took the form of completed houses, serviced sites, title deeds, and the rectification and maintenance of government-owned stock.

Our province has delivered 726 988 houses and sites since 1994.

KZN won the coveted Govan Mbeki Award for best-performing province for a fourth-consecutive year last year.

One of our major challenges is informal settlements. We citizens need to embrace informal settlements. This is a function of rapid urbanisation and unplanned migration. The National Development Plan estimates that the urban population will grow by 70% by 2030. It’s projected that 7 to 8million more people will be living in our cities by 2030.

The department recently hosted an Informal Settlements and Land Invasion Indaba with various sector stakeholders. The new strategy will continue projects described as in-situ upgrading, vigorously pursue the Integrated Residential Development Programme and increase the provision of serviced sites. Interim basic services like electricity, water and sanitation are being rolled out. Managed land settlement through planned informal settlements on greenfield sites is also mooted.

The eradication of transit camps in ethekwini is a priority. Initially there were 61 camps, with 10 140 temporary units. Twelve camps comprising 637 units have been eradicated.

The land debate is resulting in more realistic expectations. President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed that “accelerated land reform will unfold within a clear legal framework and without negatively affecting economic growth, agricultural production and food security”.

I commend the dedicated members of my department who intervene in land-occupation hot spots. It is a difficult task..

Our delivery approach includes mega projects of integrated housing catering for various incomes and needs. Through the initiative, we are contributing to urban regeneration and developing new towns and cities. The mixed-development projects include houses for the indigent, gap housing, rental units, social housing and serviced stands.

This will ensure integration of various income groups and different races and lead to the building of a South Africa that truly belongs to all.

The development of 780 hectares in ethekwini Metro for Cornubia projects for about 28 000 units is under way. To date, 2 270 houses were delivered in Cornubia. We have entered the next phase of building 2 700 units.

The middle-income or gap-market demand for housing is growing. The Finance Linked Subsidy Programme delivered 377 units and serviced

1 902 sites in 2017/18. We plan to deliver 2 226 units in the coming year. Furthermore, 640 serviced sites will be released for gap-market housing.

Social housing is a key instrument in our new urban agenda. This allows for rental or co-operative housing options for low to middle-income households. New projects are Avoca Hills (520 units), Hampshire (120), Hilltop (240), Hamptons (430), Valley View (157), Port View (142) and Msunduzi Local Municipality Acacia Park (313), Signal Hill (384), Westgate Grange (952).

Over the past five years, the department has transferred

R315 million as part of the hostel refurbishment programme. This resulted in 1 036 new community residential units being built and 2 484 units refurbished.

There is a strong pipeline of rural housing projects. In the past year, the department delivered 11 237 units. Since 2014, 53 813 houses were built through rural interventions, including the Farmworker Housing Assistance Programme. Almost 8 500 properties were transferred to lowincome beneficiaries in the past year. A further 3 000 were lodged at the Deeds Office.

Social facilitators completed a beneficiary verification process for 8 119 government-subsidised units, in preparation to issue title deeds.

In the year ahead, the department plans to issue 31 254 title deeds.

The Military Veterans Programme is being implemented. To date, 263 beneficiaries were approved on the Housing Subsidy System and the process of approving more.

This is an edited extract of the budget speech presented by MEC Pillay in the provincial legislature on Friday.