We need to start experiencing the joy of being both embedded in community and connected to the natural world.

Helena Norberg-Hodge


Economic prosperity must go hand in hand with social cohesion and ecological sustainability

Mikhail Gorbachev






Sunday, February 20, 2011

Overstrand Municipality's atrocious housing delivery record exposed

* Overstrand Ward 11


READ AND WEEP!

BACKGROUND TO THE HOUSING FIASCO

Reported in the Cape Times on Tuesday 11th January 2011 Human Settlement Minister Toykio Sexwale’s department said the Western Cape was one of four provinces that risked having their low-cost housing grants cut because of “under-performance”

The four provinces had all fallen behind in housing delivery, and their annual allocations from the national budget could be diverted to provinces where spending was going according to plan, it said.

Sexwale’s department had forwarded R705 million to the Western Cape for the 2010/11 financial year, which ends in March.

Human Settlements director-general Thabane Zulu said: “There have been detailed discussions with all the provinces, as a result, they may have to forfeit a portion of their annual human settlements grant.”

Annually, the national department distributes about R14 billion in grants to the provinces.

However Western Cape Human Settlements MEC Bongingkosi Madikizela said his department had spent R1.25 billion, or 64 percent of our budget, for the year,”

He said there would be no need to redirect the balance of the R705 million grant allocation back to the National Treasury!

The Western Cape has six regions, Metro, West Coast, Central Karoo, Winelands, Southern Cape and Overberg. This translates at over R100 million that each of these regions could have had to spend on their housing programmes for 2010/11 financial year.


THE D A LEAD OVERSTRAND MUNICIPALITY ILLICIT'S A SMOKESCREEN OF DA PROPAGANDA SPIN

Overstrand Mayor Theo Beyleveld, in Grand Aparteid style, announced a plan of upgrading of informal settlements in Zwelihle, which he says, will enjoy the highest priority in the Five-year Housing Strategy and Programme that Overstrand Municipality is currently busy preparing as part of its Integrated Development Plan.

Overstrand Mayor (since removed from the Mayor's office to the Council of Provinces in Cape Town) gave the assurance that development on the land adjacent to Swartdam Road and in three other areas in Zwelihle will (again) ‘be afforded highest priority’ and that a social compact (no less) will soon be established. He said that this is a direct result of the Schulphoek land sale and the ending of the RABCAV Development Facilitation Agreement that released the Swartdam Road land for housing projects.

BOLLOCKS!

The map below is evidence enough that these demacated areas have been available for the past ten years. Look now below what the Overstrand Municipality has built for the communities in the past five years!


Black Housing built under DA Municipality

in the Overstrand between 2006 – 2011


KLEINMOND 410

STANFORD 88

HAWSTON 182

TOTAL 680


As of May 2010, applicants on the housing waiting list in the Hermanus area alone totaled 4 523 applicants




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