Committee concerned over budget cuts that affect projects

Chairperson of the Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Honourable Alphina Ndlovana, recently expressed concern over budget cuts that “worsen Gauteng’s housing backlog, thus subjecting residents to some inhumane living conditions”.

Her and her Committee also recently summoned the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements for underspending on its budgets and for cutting the budgets of municipalities that already had housing projects underway.

“We are concerned about lack of improvement on spending, and the department’s poor monitoring of human settlements’ projects,” she continued.

She said over the 2023/2024 financial year, the Department planned to deliver 9 267 housing units 4 472 mega housing units and 4 795 legacy housing units, 8 885 serviced stands 6 549 mega serviced stands and 2 336 legacy serviced stands.

“The continuous increase in target setting, whereas the previous financial year’s performance should serve as lesson learned, is very worrisome,” she said.

The Department is plagued with abruptly cancelled housing projects. While Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development, Lebogang Maile, has reported “great strides” made by his department “to provide decent housing units and much-needed economic opportunities” – the picture from the Committee’s oversight point of view is completely different.

The Committee will continue to closely monitor the work of the Department.