The Western Cape Government (WCG) strongly disputes the National Department of Human Settlements’ (NDHS) decision to cut R200 million from the Western Cape’s Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) and R100 million from its Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUPG). This reckless move threatens service delivery, undermines housing projects, and places at risk thousands of residents in need of housing.
Since October 2024, the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) has engaged extensively with the NDHS, providing detailed reports and responses on grant expenditure and project progress. The NDHS itself confirmed that the DOI’s adjusted 2024/25 business plan was approved as communicated to DOI on 15 January 2025, acknowledging the province’s strong delivery and supporting DOI’s adjusted business plan.
There is no factual analysis of expenditure, performance, or population growth to justify this decision, and the WCG has had no opportunity to provide input or challenge these budget cuts, despite submitting comprehensive reports. It seems that this decision was taken based on the second quarter of a provincial department’s financial year, and the first quarter of a municipal financial year, further demonstrating the irrationality of the decision.
The WCG had ensured that the full human settlements grant allocation of R1.987 billion was accounted for in the delivery and payment processes before this budget cut was communicated and as per the approved adjusted human settlements business plan.
Minister Simmers said, “Due to these forced budget cuts, we will not be able to process payment of R111.930 million claims against the grants, and, in addition, claims amounting to R188 million are still expected before the end of the financial year. The province is delivering in accordance with its strategy, and at the last minute our efforts are being sabotaged.”
What makes this even more alarming is the lack of proper governance and consultation. Provinces were only informed of the budget cuts in a Technical MINMEC meeting on 21 February 2025, yet these cuts have not even been formally approved at the executive level, with the matter only set to be tabled at the upcoming MINMEC on 11 March 2025.
This means that national government is enforcing budget reductions without proper consultation, which is a shocking disregard for due process. Even more contradictory is the fact that the DHS approved the province’s amended business plan in January 2025, confirming the allocations, only to withdraw the funding at the last minute. This places critical projects at risk and exposes the DOI and Western Cape municipalities at risk of potential audit findings through no fault of their own.
Minister Simmers concluded, “Ultimately, the people who will suffer most from this irresponsible decision are the residents of the Western Cape – those in desperate need of housing. We remain committed to ensuring that all housing and infrastructure grants are effectively managed to maximise service delivery and support sustainable human settlements. We, therefore, demand that the NDHS reverses this decision and follows a fair, transparent, and evidence-based approach to funding allocations. I will also be tabling this matter with the Premier of the Western Cape and the provincial cabinet to consider our options in this matter.”
Darkside Isis
A British man on safari walks into a bar far out in the reaches of a game reserve in Southern Africa, he stays at the bar for a while shooting the shit with the bartender and drinking like a fish, he offer to buy the barkeep a round and since no one else is within 2km of their small oasis of liquor the barkeep obliges. The englishman goes off to the bathroom to have a good old go at the porcelain, he\’s back and ready for a few more whiskeys. He\’s just sat down when suddenly in the distance he hears a scream. He looks over his shoulder and dismisses it as nothing, he turns to the barkeep and orders a drink, takes a sip and hears the scream again. He looks at the barkeep who just shrugs it off. A minute or two later he and the barman hear it again and go outside to take a look. They see a lone figure running towards them screaming, he spots them and lets out a cry, RUN!!!!! HE\”S COMING!!!!!
The barkeep and the Englishman both look at the terrified bedraggled sight before them, and try to calm him down, but he\’s completely inconsolable. They give him water and finally manage to get a word out of him but he struggles free from their grasp and run away screaming.
A few minutes later the same thing happens with a whole group of men running in and screaming, he\’s coming, he\’s coming the barkeep grabs hold of one of the men as he tries to sprint past the bar and tries to get information out of him, again no response other than terrified gibberish.
The barkeep and his customer are starting to get worried, they start to pack up before another group of horrified natives run up to the bar most of them flee but one tries to hide behind the bar, the barkeep pulls out a shotgun and points it at the terrified man\’s face, finally managing to coax some words out of him. \”He\’s coming for us, Vernon Koekemoer is coming for us, we have to hide!!! We have to get out of here.\” He gets up and tries to run but the barkeep grabs him, feeling trapped in a panic he grabs the barkeeps shotgun and blows his own head off. The Englishman and the barkeep look at each other starting to really panic now.
They look out of the window and off in the distance they see a tornado coming towards the bar, at the bottom of the tornado they see the hugest beast of a man they have ever seen, as he gets closer they spot that he is riding a rhinocerous and using a crocodile as a riding whip, with each smack of the crocodile across the back of the rhino the louder is screams and the faster it runs, the tornado following it getting ever larger.
The 2 look at each other and start to fortify their position, they\’ve got a gun and they\’re waaay to drunk to run, so they start piling bar stool and tables and anything they can get their hands on to make sure they\’ll be safe when he arrives. They\’re not gonna make it, they can see the man slowing down his rhino, by now the crocodile is nothing but reptile paste on the bruised rump of the half dead rhino, the rhino drops down dead from exhaustion and crashes to the ground right outside the bar the tornado loses it\’s last breath in a cloud of dust as the huge man crashes his way through the make shift barricade and charges up towards the bar where the 2 men have taken shelter, he grabs a bottle of the hardest liquor on the shelf and down the entire litre in 1 gulp, he peers over the bar sobbing and sees the 2 defenders cowering down behind the crates of beer, they look up at the mans\’ face and he stares at them with a look of complete and utter hopelessness, he stares at them for a half second and half screams, half sobs, \”Oh my god what are you still doing here!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!! Vernon Koekemoer is coming!!!!\”
Acid Queen
Fun South African Fact: The Union Buildings in Pretoria house the President’s official offices. The site is worth a visit to marvel at a larger-than-life statue of Nelson Mandela as well as the immaculate gardens and grounds.