The R6,061 billion budget allocated to the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements may sound impressive, but a 20% reduction in housing subsidies leaves the province’s indigent getting the short end of the stick once again.
This reduction, coupled with an alarming 88% cut in capital asset payments, signals a drastic decline in the Department’s ability to invest in new infrastructure and land.
Another cause for concern noted by the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is that there is no sustainable plan to finance bulk infrastructure. Houses are being built without water, electricity or sanitation.
This is not only a waste of public funds, but a profound betrayal of people’s trust in government. Additionally, the Department is plagued by issues such as the illegal occupation of projects, significant delays in transferring title deeds and allegations of corruption in housing allocations.
The Gauteng government also faces significant fiscal constraints, with negative cash balances projected.
This means government cannot simply keep throwing more money at the problem. There needs to be an insistence upon firm accountability, unprecedented efficiency and radical collaboration.
The Freedom Front Plus demands concrete, measurable plans from the Department that adequately address the following:
- Immediate and sustainable provision of bulk infrastructure.
- Aggressive strategies to combat corruption and ensure transparent housing allocations. Meaningful and enforceable measures to facilitate municipal financial recovery and good governance.
- A decisive approach to completing projects and addressing illegal occupations.
The people of Gauteng deserve better. They deserve a government that delivers on its promises of decent housing and functional local services.
Freedom Front Plus Leadership: The party is currently led by Pieter Groenewald.
Delirious Supernova
Botswana: You have two cows. But that\’s not surprising because you have pretty much every type of non-extinct mammal in your country.
snow pharaoh
A baby was born in South Africa. The village was very poor, and the makeshift hospital didn\’t have some necessary equipment.. such as scales.
The father however, was desperate to know the newborn baby\’s weight. After quite a bit of asking around, the hospital\’s chairman came up with an idea.
\”Five miles west, there\’s a butcher shop. The owner deals with meat, he should have a rather precise scale. You could just put your baby on the meat scale, and the weight reading you\’ll get should be pretty accurate.\”
And so the father departed westward. After much walking, with his newborn child cardled safely in his arms, he finally arrived at the butcher shop. He explained his dilemma to the shop owner, to witch the latter replied:
\”Don\’t worry, friend. It\’s not even a problem, I\’ll check it for you, free of charge.\” And so he took the child to the back, where the scale was located.
The father heard rumbling noises, and some scraping.. About a minute later the butcher came back.
\”About three pounds boneless\” He said.