ANC will no longer fix the poorly constructed RDP houses they built

14 June 2016

The recent decision taken by the Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, that the national department will no longer undertake the rectification of poorly built RDP houses, will certainly be devastating news to housing beneficiaries who this ANC-led government have made to wait for years to get a house, only to be given houses that are falling apart, and in some cases, are even unsafe for human habitation.

The Portfolio Committee for Infrastructure were advised of this during a briefing on the provincial department’s annual performance plan and all targets for rectification of houses have been removed from the plan. 

The committee were informed that the Minister had taken this decision, and that no more fixing of houses would take place. Instead, the department must concentrate on providing homes for those who have never received a house.

The problem with this decision is that numerous houses were poorly constructed, this being the reason for the department to embark on rectification in the first place.

Honourable Speaker, 

A further cause of huge concern, is the fact that the MEC Olly Mlamleli has since May 2014 not attended a single Portfolio Committee meeting. This despite numerous discussions and assurances from the Chairperson that she would ‘speak to’ the MEC.

The Free State Department of Human Settlements is facing massive challenges, and is one of the worst performing departments in the province. Clearly, MEC Mlamleli is hardly aware of what is going on in her department, and is much less concerned about the plight of the homeless people of the province.

Yet time and again MEC Mlamleli stands up here in this legislature claiming to champion the concerns of the poor and the desperate. It is a pity she cannot live up to her own convictions. The target of this department for the distribution of title deeds last year was just short under 7 000, with a provincial backlog of more than 63 500, and up until November the department only managed to hand over 663 title deeds. 

Last year the DA government extended full title deeds to more than 31 350 housing beneficiaries. This shows that the DA is committed towards economically empowering our people. 

If the people of the Free State want proper housing, that they fully own, they should reject this ANC government and give the DA a chance to deliver to them full home ownership. 

Issued by Leona Kleynhans, DA MPL in the Free State Provincial Legislature, 14 June 2016