The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has commended the Department of Human Settlements in the North West for heeding its call to have a joint session to attend to issues which were raised by the Committee during its oversight visit to the province last month.
Among those who attended the meeting (held by the Committee) were the MEC of Human Settlements, Mr Nono Moloyi and Executive Mayors from various local municipalities and the National Department of Human Settlements.
It emerged that people living in Rooigrond informal settlement, who had been there for more than 20 years, were threatened with eviction. The Committee was informed that the Mafikeng Local Municipality decided to revoke its decision to evict them. It was agreed that further processes would be undertaken in ensuring that basic services were provided to these people. The issues of land ownership processes and township establishment were also considered.
With regards to Naledi Local Municipality, the municipality had previously held an Indaba to discuss the issue of illegal occupancy. It was emphasised that, according to legislation requirements, the NHBRC should carry the costs of rectification of the houses.
The Committee raised serious concerns about the non-expenditure of rural household infrastructure grant allocated to the North West to address water and sanitation challenges. The Committee discovered that of the R57 million allocated for sanitation in the province, none of it had been spent to date. The Committee was also disturbed about the allocation pattern to service providers, with the least performing service providers receiving a lion’s share of the allocation. The Committee remains committed to promoting and advancing inter-governmental relations.
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