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IOL News
03-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
A new era in housing: The Department of Human Settlements' essential shift from housing builder to settlement enabler
South Africa's post-apartheid housing landscape has long been shaped by spatial exclusion, urban fragmentation, and economic inequality. Image: Tracey Adams / IOL The challenge for the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) is to move from being a housing builder to a settlement enabler, ensuring that delivery is not just about numbers, but about equity, dignity and inclusion. This is according to Dr Uduak Johnson and Dr Thandile Ncwana, who are Academic Programme Leaders at the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) School of Public Administration, in response to an enquiry by "Independent Media Property". They described the first year of South Africa's 7th Administration, which came into office about a year ago following the 29 May 2024 elections, as being marked by cautious optimism and necessary institutional realignment. They said while progress has been uneven, key reforms such as governance strengthening, spatial policy recalibration and targeted investments in vulnerable groups signal a shift toward developmental governance. 'What remains now is for the 7th Administration's plans to be translated into tangible, community-centred outcomes.' Delivering the 2025 Budget Vote on Wednesday, DHS Minister Thembi Simelane said over the next five years, the Department's delivery efforts will be driven by a focused agenda that seeks to consolidate past investments, respond to urgent needs, and deepen our impact. 'Therefore, as we begin to lay the foundation of the recently approved 2024-2029 MTDP, we have committed to deliver the following during the 2025/2026 financial year: 41 944 housing units, 32 250 fully serviced sites with water, sewer, electricity, and roads, 4 282 units through the First Home Finance programme, originally known as FLISP (Financially Linked Individual Subsidy Programme), 3 000 social housing units and eradicate 8 047 mud houses,' Simelane said. Dr Johnson and Dr Ncwana said that despite the intent of policies such as Breaking New Ground (BNG) and the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Sustainable Human Settlements, delivery has often occurred at the urban periphery, reinforcing marginalisation. They said by the time the 7th Administration took office last year, the backlog had grown to over 2.3 million housing units, with 2 700+ informal settlements nationwide and slow progress in land release and infrastructure upgrades. The academics said, despite severe budget constraints and inflationary pressures, the DHS has made incremental progress with highlights that include the Special Housing Needs Programme (launched March 2025), targeting vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, elderly persons, and survivors of domestic violence. Another one is the Housing Assistance Programme for Military Veterans, fast-tracked, with 4 560 beneficiaries confirmed. They said it also brought Institutional Stabilisation as boards were appointed to five of six DHS entities, thereby improving governance oversight. With regards to policy advancements, the academic programme leaders mentioned the approval of a new Human Settlements White Paper in December last year, outlining integrated and sustainable development frameworks. They said with regards to Social Housing Expansion, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) approved 1 898 units in FY2024/25, while the SHIP 15A pipeline continues to grow. Additionally, they said digitalisation efforts have begun to improve beneficiary tracking and reduce fraudulent housing allocations, although their implementation is still partial. The MANCOSA academics said persistent and emerging challenges for the department included systemic constraints. 'Informal Settlement Growth: Upgrading initiatives remain underfunded and inadequately implemented. Although the Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUP) exists, the number of informal settlements continues to grow beyond 2 700.' They said there were also governance failures with reports from the Auditor-General (AGSA) and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) pointing to irregular expenditure, ghost beneficiaries, and project mismanagement, especially at provincial and municipal levels. The other challenge was the spatial disconnect as settlements remained far from transport, economic nodes, and services, continuing the apartheid legacy. The academic leaders said the budgetary pressures with reduced allocations to the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) and the impact of inflation have constrained delivery. 'Provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape underspent and had portions of their HSDG reallocated to better-performing provinces like the Eastern Cape (99% expenditure).' To meet its long-term mandate, Johnson and Ncwana said the DHS must pivot from mass delivery alone to an enabling developmental role that prioritises spatial justice through the release of well-located urban land, upgrading over displacement in informal settlements, inclusive and participatory urban planning, including People's Housing Processes (PHP), blended finance models, combining public subsidies, private investment, and concessional loans as well as performance-based budgeting, where provinces are rewarded for efficient delivery. Independent Media Property
IOL News
01-07-2025
- IOL News
Four-year legal battle ends as Cape Town Mayor delivers homes to rightful owners
Carl Pophaim, Mayco member for Human Settlements, Moosa Abrahams and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis at the key handover ceremony. Image: City of Cape Town Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has officially handed over the keys to lawful beneficiaries of the City's Belhar-Pentech housing project, marking a significant milestone after a lengthy four-year legal battle to evict unlawful occupants. The handover ceremony took place following an unsettling incident where completed units were hijacked just hours before the scheduled handover on 16 May 2021. The Belhar-Pentech project, part of the Breaking New Ground initiative, comprises 340 state-subsidised units designed to provide housing for the metro's most vulnerable residents. To date, 332 units have been successfully handed over, while the remaining eight units, which were unlawfully occupied, are still embroiled in a protracted court eviction process. "This situation was brought to my attention shortly after I took office in 2021, and my office immediately launched eviction proceedings," said Mayor Hill-Lewis. "Over four years of court delays, the legal system unwittingly permitted the grave injustice of the illegal hijacking of these homes." Karel Juries Image: City of Cape Town The emotional handover saw beneficiaries like Oom Karel, who was thrilled to step into his first home, and Uncle Errol, who transitioned from living in a single room to a spacious two-bedroom unit complete with a kitchen, lounge, and bathroom. "We are overjoyed to hand the keys to these dignified homes to the rightful beneficiaries," said Hill-Lewis. The hijacking was orchestrated by individuals already residing in the area, who relocated from their homes to seize these new units. The legal proceedings faced multiple delays due to various reasons, including last-minute changes to legal representation and the challenges faced by newly appointed lawyers unfamiliar with the case. The City's R44.2 million Belhar-Pentech project was constructed between February 2018 and December 2023. Nearly all units were occupied long before the court order reclaimed the eight unlawfully occupied homes in September 2024, followed by an appeal order in February 2025. The City highlighted that unlawful occupants had already been living in homes in the area, and housing kits were offered to those evicted as part of the process. Councillor Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, urged communities to assist in preventing criminal activities and unlawful occupations in rental and subsidy units. "See something, say something is our campaign call to action – if we work together, we can create safer communities," he stated.
IOL News
27-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
New by-law aims to loosen building regulations for 'micro housing developers'
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis Image: Supplied The City of Cape Town yesterday passed a major amendment to its Municipal Planning By-law, aimed at unlocking affordable rental housing in informal and lower-income neighbourhoods — a move Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis described as 'a watershed moment.' The amendment introduces a new land-use right that allows homeowners in 194 designated communities to legally build affordable rental units on their properties. These areas have seen rapid densification over the past decade, particularly through backyarder dwellings and informal structures. While the Democratic Alliance (DA), which holds a majority in Council, voted in support of the amendment, it faced opposition from several parties, including the EFF, Al Jama-ah, the National Coloured Congress (NCC), GOOD, Cape Exit, the PAC, and the Freedom Front Plus. The ANC abstained. In his address to Council, Hill-Lewis stressed the scale of the challenge: '1.2 million of our fellow residents live in informal structures in Cape Town,' he said. 'For those of us who did not grow up in townships, or in a backyard, it is hard to imagine what that means. To live with bitter cold and constant damp in winter, and scorching heat and constant threat of fire in summer.' Hill-Lewis criticised the national government's free housing programme, known as Breaking New Ground, for failing to meet rising demand. 'Budgets are simply too small, the need too vast. Only a lucky few thousand per year, those waiting the very longest, will get a totally free house, while hundreds of thousands remain on the list. It is important that the public understand that.' While acknowledging that economic growth and job creation remain the only sustainable long-term solution, Hill-Lewis emphasised the need for action now: 'We also can't wait for a faster growing economy. While that is undoubtedly the only sustainable long term solution, we also need a plan now.' That plan, he said, is the by-law amendment. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'The amendments to the Municipal Planning By-law that we will vote on today will do more than any other programme, in any city, to help many more people make the leap from informal housing to dignified, affordable homes.' The by-law now enables homeowners in selected communities to build rental units legally and safely, with connections to municipal water, sanitation, and electricity. These developments will also need to meet National Building Regulations. Hill-Lewis acknowledged that micro-developers in townships have already been meeting housing demand at a scale the State cannot match: 'The fact is that micro-developers in lower-income communities are already getting on with meeting housing demand by building many thousands more units every year than the State could ever possibly hope to deliver.' He described the City's role not as one of obstruction, but of enablement: 'Now we are playing our proper role – not standing in the way, but enabling this form of housing delivery, driven by people's own enterprise, ingenuity, and investment.' The by-law also includes support measures, such as: Pre-approved building plans and development charge discounts; A pipeline of 12,000 affordable housing units on well-located land; South Africa's first Land Discount Guidelines, allowing for discounted city-owned land to be used for social housing; Utility discounts for approved social housing projects. While praising the amendment's potential, Hill-Lewis also raised a broader point about transformation in the housing market: 'For so long, property development has been an industry dominated by wealthy established developers who mainly develop in expensive suburbs… but today we are also blowing open the property development industry for thousands of new entrants – new property developers in the townships and in so many other areas.' He also committed to streamlining approval processes and clamping down on unlawful construction. 'This amendment also empowers communities, by greatly improving public participation in planning applications, and giving the City real teeth for the first time to stop illegal building work.'
Eyewitness News
13-06-2025
- Eyewitness News
There are more than 20,000 unfinished RDP houses in the Free State
A couple in Bolata village in the eastern Free State have waited 14 years for their RDP home to be finished. Theirs is one of more than 20,000 Breaking New Ground (BNG, formerly known as RDP) houses in the province that are incomplete, says Zimasa Mbewu, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Human Settlements. These projects are 'blocked' mainly because contractors failed to complete the work they have been paid for. Toloko Mofokeng and his wife Monyaduwe Tshabalala were allocated an RDP house in 2011, to be built on a piece of land where they lived. A contractor arrived the same year but left without doing anything. A second contractor left after levelling the ground. A third contractor put in a concrete slab before also abandoning the project. Fourteen years later, the couple live in a shack next to the slab. The shack leaks when it rains and will need to be rebuilt soon. Mofokeng, tired of waiting, says he is considering building his own mud hut on the concrete foundation. Mbewu says the department has scrapped contractors who left work undone and 'blocked' housing projects, including Mofokeng's home, will be completed over the next two years. She declined to name the contractors responsible for Mofokeng's incomplete house, as disputes over payment were still taking place. LONG HISTORY OF HOUSING FAILURES The Zondo Commission found that between 2010 and 2011, under former Premier Ace Magashule, about R1-billion was spent on housing projects in the Free State, many of which were never completed. In 2014, the province entered into a R255-million corrupt tender for the removal of asbestos roofs. That trial is continuing. In 2021, the Auditor General wrote that for three years, the housing department had spent most of the grants received for housing but had delivered 'significantly fewer houses than the target', with no consequences for contractors who failed to meet their targets. In 2024, the Auditor General commended the department on improving internal controls, but the department only reported completing 50 Breaking New Ground houses against a target of 2,065. The Auditor General found there was insufficient evidence that even 50 houses had been built. 'I could not determine the actual achievement, but I estimated it to be materially less than reported,' the Auditor General wrote. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
TimesLIVE
30-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
'Fraudster' arrested after allegedly confessing to RDP housing scam
A woman who allegedly scammed a number of people by promising to fast-track their applications for government subsidised housing has been arrested after allegedly walking into the Gauteng department of human settlements office and confessing her crimes. The woman told a senior official at the department's customer support centre earlier this week she had illegally collected more than R100,000 from members of the public, the department said She claimed she could help them 'jump the housing waiting list' and secure Breaking New Ground or RDP houses. The official alerted authorities and the suspect was apprehended in a joint operation by the department and the Ekurhuleni metro police. She is now in police custody and faces charges of fraud. Human settlements MEC Tasneem Motara praised the official who escalated the matter. 'I commend the official who acted responsibly and was not tempted to get involved in corrupt activity herself. We are serious about cracking down on corruption and fraud, especially those who are trying to take advantage of citizens who have a real need to be allocated [housing] as soon as possible.' The department reiterated warnings about housing scams and reminded the public it does not charge for any of its services. It urged residents to remain alert and avoid being duped by individuals who falsely claim to be government officials. 'Please be aware of unscrupulous individuals who pose as officials from the Gauteng department of human settlement — falsely claiming to be MECs or heads of department to deceive and extort money from the public.'
