The provincial department of Human Settlements is intensifying its municipal support to ensure that municipalities are able to perform human settlements administration effectively.
Municipalities are still confronted with litany of challenges when it comes to administering human settlements programmes. Most of the challenges relate to beneficiary administration and management that result to wrongful beneficiaries being allocated houses and invasion of land earmarked for human settlements development and illegal occupation of government subsidy houses. Most recently a councillor was arrested in Joe Gqabi on allegations of corruption.
“We are happy that the rule of law will be dealing with the affected Cllr found guilty of corruption at Aliwal North. It shows that when community exposes corruption as a state we can act,” said MEC Helen Sauls-August.
MEC Helen Sauls-August has asked Members of Mayoral Committees to investigate claims of housing corruption in municipalities. “It is morally wrong to let approved beneficiaries stay on shacks whilst their completed houses are occupied by wrong beneficiaries. We will not allow that to continue,” said MEC Helen Sauls-August.
She said her department has drawn up and released draft bylaws to municipalities this month for their comments and inputs. The bylaws will be passed by local councils across the Province. The department is also proposing gazetting of the approved beneficiary lists to prevent removal of approved beneficiaries from their houses.
The purpose of the bylaws is to ensure a progressive realisation of the constitutional rights of people residing with the municipality’s areas of jurisdiction relating to access adequate housing. The Bylaws are submitted to Municipality to discuss and make amendments It will then afterwards be the responsibility of each Municipal Council to follow process to ensure ultimately adoption through their Municipal Councils.
About 180 Traditional Leaders, Councillors and municipal officials responsible for Human Settlements are attending Short Learning Programmes on Human Settlements at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The Short Learning Programmes will focus on Sustainable Human Settlements Planning, Construction Management, Land Policy and Legislation and Project Management for Public Officials.
