Siyabonga Sesant
Human Settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has admitted that it takes government way too long to build houses for the poor.
“We can’t continue to build a house that takes 10 years,” she said on Thursday.
“I was shocked when I came into the department in 2021 and I asked for an informal settlement upgrading, how long does it take. Takes ten years.”
The Minister was speaking on Day Two of a three-day Provincial Human Settlements summit that was taking place at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha from Wednesday until Friday.
“We can’t build a competitive country, and a successful and prosperous country, when we operate in the manner that we do,” Kubayi said during her speech.
With the government having built around three million houses in over 20 years in the country, and of those 400 000 in the Eastern Cape over the same period, Minister Kubayi acknowledged the rate was slow.
Other speakers at the summit included Premier Oscar Mabuyane and provincial Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Lusithi.
Minister Kubayi said there were a lot of issues hampering the delivery of housing units including red tape and corruption.
She also said government's ambitious National Development Plan, dubbed Vision 2030, might not see the light of day.
Implemented by the then Minister in The Presidency, Trevor Manuel on 19 February 2013, the NDP was relaunched in August 2016.
Government highlighted 14 priority outcomes it wants to have achieved by 2030, including quality basic education, decent employment and an efficient, effective and development-oriented public service.
The list also includes "sustainable human settlements and improved quality of household life".
Kubayi, said she doubts government will achieve the goals it's set for itself.
“I can’t lie… we are likely not going to meet those targets. But what is important for us [as government] is to try our best and push!”
