Department confident on the Envisaged Human Settlements Act
The Department of Local Government and Human Settlements is optimistic that the White Paper on Human Settlements will unblock the shortcomings which hinder improved provision of integrated human settlements in the province. This came out at the two-day policy consultative workshop which will ultimately contribute towards the establishment of the Human Settlements Act.
The Department, like other Human Settlements Departments in other provinces, is making proposals to the national Department of Human Settlements for the development of policy and legislation on human settlements. The objectives of the provincial workshop is to reach consensus on the human settlements policy and legislative proposals; determine what requires improvement and develop new proposal, where necessary.
In attendance were the National Department of Human Settlements, sector departments and local municipalities. Other targeted structures for consultation include government agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sector, academia, civil society and professional bodies.
When opening the workshop Chief Financial Officer of the Department Mandla Magwetyana said “Twenty-one years into the development and implementation of housing and human settlements reforms, the legislative framework, policies and programmes require new thinking and strategies that respond to the latest and emerging challenges while addressing future needs”.
Various investigations, research, reviews and evaluations on human settlements policy and programmes indentified numerous shortcomings related gaps in policy and divergence in the programmes implementation.
The following are among the challenges identified; high cost of well-located land for human settlements development; inability to adequately respond to the diverse needs of low-middle income household, escalating cost of development for government; poor quality of construction; lack of community and lack of civil society involvement, amongst others.
Towards the drafting of the Act, the following issues should given necessary attention: dolomitic areas, remote rural areas, alignment of sector department priorities, economic sustainability in the mining areas, learn lessons from other countries, bulk infrastructure, define clear roles of municipalities. It is envisaged that the Act on Human Settlements will come to effect next year 2017.
Enquiries:
Ben Bole
Cell: 071 566 1399
E-mail: msbole@nwpg.gov.za
