The Limpopo department of Local Government and Housing is determined to continue building good, quality homes for the people of our province. We have noted the concerns raised by some members of the National Council of Provinces who are currently in Limpopo around the quality of some of the houses in Blouberg Municipality.
The houses in question were built before 2005 and the department was the first to discover the shoddy workmanship and has already taken action. We have already begun the process of rectification to repair the houses and in some cases this may mean rebuilding the entire structure. The department has also instituted legal civil action against developers who owe money to the state. Some of them abandoned projects having used sub-standard materials, whilst some colluded with officials to submit fraudulent claims against the department.
Some of these legal actions have been concluded whiles others are still on going. Last year, independent housing experts drawn from across the country judged Limpopo as the best provincial housing department. Some of the areas they looked at were the quality of the houses, consistency, innovation and excellence. This means the homes we built in Limpopo are of good quality, they are habitable and the people who live in them agree with this assertion.
More than 1.2 million people, out of a population of just over 5.5 million live in homes built by government in Limpopo. We agree that there are some houses whose quality is not up to standard and whenever such are found by our project managers, we instruct the contractor concerned to rectify or completely rebuild.
Out of the estimated 13 000 houses left incomplete or abandoned, the department has already completed 9 000 since the process of unblocking them began in the 2007/08 financial year.
MEC Soviet Lekganyane recently announced that all developers who had abandoned projects in the past will be not be allowed to do business with the department. The new approach entails checking the track record of a developer before projects are allocated.
In addition to this, for contractors building 500 homes and above, the department now requires an upfront guarantee from the bank. This guarantee in the form of money is made in favour of the department. It is not transferable, not negotiable nor irrevocable. The guarantee is held for the duration of the project. In the event a contractor fails to deliver, the department has the right to go to his bank and claim that guarantee, take the money and appoint someone else to complete the project.
According to the departmental spokesperson Clayson Monyela, “we believe this approach minimises the risk to the department and ensures that the houses we have to build for our people are build on time, in good quality and quantity.”
To take care of the risk associated with poor quality and shoddy workmanship, the department has very become vigilant in holding retentions. After the completion of a housing project, the department pays a developer 95 percent of the claim. The remaining 5 percent is held by the department for a further six months during which the project managers thoroughly inspect the houses to check for quality and possible defects.
If none is found the balance is then paid. If mistakes or shoddy workmanship is discovered, the contractor is instructed to go fix the mess under the supervision of National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). MEC Lekganyane says he’s willing to do everything in his power to maintain Limpopo’s image as a province which builds good quality homes.
With all theses measures in place, Lekganyane is convinced that Limpopo has turned the page on blocked projects and will now focus on building more homes for the people with a particular focus on integrating communities regardless of class, colour or income. Limpopo has already begun developing integrated and sustainable human settlements in Polokwane, Lephalale and Mokopane.
For more information:
Clayson Monyela
Cell: 082 806 7405
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Limpopo Provincial Government
10 September 2009
Source: Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.limpopo.gov.za/)
