The recent violent unrest in the Uitenhage area over slow housing delivery is another example of the ANC’s ‘over promise and under deliver’ style of government that kills jobs and undermines the dignity of our communities.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has a housing back log of more than 80 000 RDP houses at a current cost of more than R8 Billion and a rectification back log of 42 000 houses. This back log is compounded by the Provincial Department of Human Settlements which under spent its housing grant by more than R600 million in two consecutive financial years (2011/12 and 2012/13).
The R600 million that the Department was unable to spend could have built around 6 000 RDP houses across Nelson Mandela Bay in 2013. Instead, a mere 1 981 houses have been built this year. Contrast this with the DA-led City of Cape Town where in the first four years in government the city delivered an average of 7 965 houses per year. This is delivery that creates opportunities and jobs.
The ANC government has created an expectation it simply cannot meet and the consequences of this can be seen in the violent unrest across the Metro this year.
The DA believes that the department must spend 100% of its budget. This will give a much needed boost to the construction industry. There must be a focus on empowering individuals with the necessary skills and resources required to build their own homes.
By empowering individuals with these skills they will become active participants in housing delivery and community building, while acquiring skills that will make them employable in the future.
The slow pace of housing delivery in Nelson Mandela Bay will continue to lead to violent unrest and kill much needed job opportunities in the construction sector unless urgent action is taken.
The time for promises is over; the time for delivery is now. The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve better and must vote for the change that only a DA government can deliver.
Andrew Gibbon
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