Staff Reporter
The Free State Department of Human Settlements says it will start giving serviced residential stands to deserving people so that they can build their own houses as it tries to reduce the housing backlog.
Human Settlements MEC Motshidisi Koloi told the provincial legislature when she delivered her budget vote speech in Koppies, north-eastern Free State, that the housing backlog has been worsened by last year’s hard lockdown which saw all industry shutting down amid efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“We will focus more on ensuring that more sites are available to give our people an opportunity to build houses for themselves,” said Koloi on Tuesday.
She said the policy shift by her department is informed by the situation on the ground where some people wanted to build their own houses.
“We have been told repeatedly through our National Housing Needs Register and in our other interaction with communities that most people are asking for sites,” she explained.
The department has received a grant of about R786.3 million for human settlements development and a further R228 million for upgrading human settlements.
Koloi said the department will develop 8 892 residential stands during the 2021/22 financial year.
The housing stands will be serviced with water and sewer reticulation networks.
The MEC was however quick to assure people that the move did not mean the government will stop building houses for those in need.
“The number of our housing units for construction has been greatly reduced as a result of the policy shift . . . as well as due to a reduced budget,” she said.
“We have, for the 2021/2022 financial year, committed to completing 2 237 housing units across the province at a cost of R334 824 146.
“In alignment with policy and the current economic climate, we are compelled to prioritise vulnerable groups that include the elderly, people living with disability, child-headed households and people in distress situations.”
Koloi said following the abrupt closure of business operations due to the lockdown last year, the resumption was met with a host of challenges and delays as most building materials were in short supply because the manufacturers had also been forced to close.
She said the department to date has completed 1 729 housing units across all programmes against a target of 2 581.
A total of 3 631 sites have been serviced against a target of 3 778.
During a debate on the budget speech, the opposition criticised the department for failing to prioritise residents in the delivery of housing and for taking long to deal with cases of alleged corruption which have resulted in some projects being delayed.