Statement by Luyolo Mphithi MP – DA Spokesperson on Human Settlements:
A Democratic Alliance(DA) oversight today across four informal settlements in Gauteng exposed the reality of South Africa’s housing crisis, incited land invasions and land fraud, and the consequences of decades of ANC human settlements failures.
The DA is leading the charge in Parliament to close the legal loopholes that enable this chaos through amendments to the Prevention of Illegal Evictions and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act. (The ‘PIE’ Act)
Our reforms will criminalise the incitement of illegal land occupations, strengthen the criteria courts must consider in eviction cases, and help fast-track lawful housing delivery. This approach targets criminals while ensuring state resources are focused on those who genuinely need housing.
Over the past 30 years, prior National Ministers of Housing and Human Settlements have failed dismally to build the homes need by a growing housing waiting list. The failure to build houses for a growing housing waiting list has left millions of South Africans forced to live in squalor, including illegally occupying privately-owned land where criminal syndicates exploit the need by inciting land invasions, and illegally selling or renting out land they don’t own.
Since 1994 the housing backlog has grown to an estimated 13.3 million people. Even as budgets have increased, the Department of Human Settlements is building fewer homes.
As a comparison: In 2012/13, the Department received a R25-billion budget, with which 115 079 homes were built. Last year, the Department received a R34-billion budget, with a target of building only 28 776 homes.
This failure has left millions of South Africans trapped in informal settlements and vulnerable to exploitation by criminal syndicates.
Illegal land invasions have become a growing crisis, undermining lawful housing processes and draining public resources.
Taxpayers are forced to pay twice: first to fund legitimate housing projects and again to cover the costs of illegal connections, lost revenue and service disruptions.
Incited land invasions deprive the most vulnerable of their rightful opportunity to access housing through legal and fair processes.
The DA believes that broad support for these reforms in Parliament can and will protect land ownership and restore dignity by accelerating the delivery of homes for millions of South Africans who have been failed.
Suicide Crusher
Russia: You have two cows. When you get sober you remember that the mafia took them away from you, so you actually have none.
Racy Babe
Fun South African Fact: Vilakazi Street in Soweto has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. A tour through Soweto will always stop at Vilakazi Street to reveal a number of heritage sites of great importance to democratic South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived here at some point in their lives. In 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition for his non-violent fight against the apartheid regime. Nine years later in 1993, Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with then-president F.W. de Klerk as an award for their role in bringing about the peaceful end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela then went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994.