Human Settlements- The Unfulfilled Housing Promise
By Cllr Mabekenyane Thamahane- Shadow MMC for Human Settlements in Ekurhuleni
Date: 24 March 2021
Release: Immediate
In his 2016 acceptance speech, the Executive Mayor, Cllr. Mzwandile Masina, made bold promises to the residents of the CoE. He promised that 100 000 housing units and 59 000 serviced stands would be provided to the residents of the City by the end of his term in Office.
This overly ambitious target is far from being realised. The reality is that the CoE has only managed to deliver 36 000 houses and 16 756 service stands, and the City’s Annual Reports between 2016 and 2020 can attest to this. There are only six months remaining of the current political term, and all the Mayor has managed to do during his term is create unrealistic expectations.
Ekurhuleni’s housing backlog currently stands at 288 000 and the City is unable to deal with the backlog and demand for housing. The slow pace of reform throughout the CoE has been the cause of many social ills. People are currently living in squalor and in the most inhumane of circumstances. Residents have grown tired of empty promises and are frustrated by Ekurhuleni’s lethargic approach to remedy these issues. Access to adequate housing is a basic human right, as recognised in our Constitution. Yet, the ANC-run CoE and its coalition* partners are denying many Ekurhuleni residents this basic right.
To add insult to injury, when the houses are eventually built, they are not given to their rightful beneficiaries. Too many residents in the City have fallen victim to housing fraud, where unscrupulous officials have taken advantage of unsuspecting victims, selling them RDP houses and stands. The Mayor has been grand standing in the media, instead of getting to the urgent task of addressing issues of maladministration and housing corruption that are plaguing this Metro.
Another pressing issue is the slow pace of maintenance in Ekurhuleni Hostels and Rental Housing Stock. For years now, Ekurhuleni hostel dwellers have been forced to live in inhumane and unhygienic living conditions; their daily living experience is that of dilapidation and squalor. The ANC-led coalition has neglected these residents as they continue to overlook their appalling living conditions. It is obvious that the ANC and its coalition* partners do not have any political will to transform Ekurhuleni hostels into habitable spaces for individuals and families to stay in.
Further to the lack of maintenance of hostels, has been the sluggish pace of re-blocking of informal settlements. Out of 119 informal Settlements, the CoE has only managed to re-block 35 informal settlements — a mere 29% achievement. This puts many residents in informal settlements in danger of floods and mass fires. Moreover, residents in informal settlements still do not have access to sustainable waste removal, sanitation, water and emergency services.
The ANC-led coalition* has lost touch with the people on the ground and as a service-oriented opposition government; the DA will continue to hold the current administration accountable. The people of Ekurhuleni deserve better, not a government that continuously preaches to be pro-poor when it suits them.
A DA-led Ekurhuleni will:
· Fast track the building of housing units to ensure residents have equitable access to housing;
· Implement a more responsive schedule to hostel and rental stock maintenance;
· Fast track the re- blocking program in the interest of residents’ safety and security.
For a video on Ekurhuleni’s housing crisis, click the link below:
Cllr Mabekenyane Thamahane
DA Shadow MMC for Human Settlements in Ekurhuleni
