MEDIA STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATT: REPORTERS, ASSIGNMENT EDITORS
24 March 2022
ALL HANDS ON DECK AS WE TURN THE TIDE
Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC, Nonceba Kontsiwe has called on all stakeholders in the human settlements sector to partner with the department in achieving its strategic mission of providing quality, integrated and sustainable human settlements. Kontsiwe had been delivering an address at the department’s Post Policy Speech Stakeholder Engagement Session in East London. Kontsiwe emphasized on speeding up housing delivery.
“Our minister Mmamokolo Kubayi has charged us to speed up housing delivery in this province as it is urgent business. It is urgent business when there are still elderly people living in mud structures, when there are still disabled people who are displaced, when there are still homeless military veterans and children who are homeless. We must work hard not to fail them,” said Kontsiwe.
Among the attendees was the National Deputy Minister, Pam Tshwete. Tshwete emphasized on speeding up the issuing of title deeds as part of restoring the dignity of the home owners.
“We need to fast track the issue of title deeds. We even give out grants to provinces but to my my surprise most of the provinces when I entered this department were not using that grant. What is the problem? We are now saying, if you don’t use the money, we take it from you,” said Tshwete.
Head of the Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies at the University of Fort Hare, Dr. Luvuyo Dondolo has commended the department on the work it is doing – saying there’s room for innovative ways to improve its service delivery model.
“In my view the department in my view needs to improve also in the quality not just the quantity of housing. It cannot be that there is a budget for rectification because that gives space for errors. Also I submit that there’s a need to revisit the spatial planning so that it can humanize the previously dehumanized as a result of apartheid spatial planning,” said Dr. Dondolo.
Kontsiwe says the department will need to strengthen partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders going further.