Department of Human Settlements achieves less than half of annual housing targets

19 October 2022

The Department of Human Settlements has achieved a miserable 41.7% of their housing delivery targets in the past financial year.

According to the Department’s Annual Report which will be tabled in Parliament this term, the Department spent 97% of their budget, whilst achieving an overall result of 56% across all programmes.

On their Integrated Human Settlements Planning and Development Programme, which sees formal housing being rolled out across South Africa, the Department spent 99.3% against a dismal 41% performance.

This shocking performance is as a result of the ANC’s ongoing lack of political will to capacitate Provinces to deliver the very basics.

Key findings contained in the annual report include:

28 351 formal Breaking New Ground houses were delivered against a target 52 405

Against a target of 30 land parcels rezoned in Priority Development Areas, 0 were rezoned

A total of 3502 pre-1994 title deeds were registered against a target of 5644

A total of 12867 post-1994 title deeds were registered against a target of 20758

Only 978 new title deeds were registered against a target of 6733

4 223 informal settlement serviced sites were completed from the USDG budget against a target of 55 000 (7%)

Of these service sites, 1636 were in Cape Town. Cities such as Nelson Mandela Bay, Manguang, Joburg, and Tshwane achieved 0%

Only 14 informal settlements were upgraded to Phase 3 of Upgrading Programme against a target of 130

Overall, the Department underspent by R720.26 million

The Auditor General also noted that effective and appropriate steps were not taken to prevent irregular expenditure

On affordable housing programme, the Western Cape out performed any other Province in the administration of FLISP opportunities, with 1720 opportunities provided

Here the Western Cape outperformed the second highest achieving province (KwaZulu-Natal) by 300%

Despite the under-performance of the Department, officials were still rewarded with performance bonuses.

With more than 66% citizens now living in urban centres, and more than 3 million people on the Housing Database, South Africa’s low-cost housing challenge remains a ticking time bomb.

The Department of Human Settlements' continued under-performance and lack of consequence management will not change until we kick the corrupt ANC and their cronies out of power.

Issued by Emma Louise Powell, DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, 19 October 2022