Municipalities trained on Human Settlements programmes

Posted: 12 August 2019

SALGA in partnership with the National and Provincial Department of Human Settlements held a two-day councillor training on the 6th and 7th of August 2019 at Nkangala District Municipality in Middelburg.
The training aimed to capacitate councillors on all human settlements programmes which include the following:
1) Overview of the Human Settlements Policy and Government Housing Programmes;
2) The role of local government in the delivery of human settlements;
3) Human settlements planning;
4) National Housing needs register, selection of beneficiaries and the implications for municipalities;
5) Rental housing;
6) Informal settlement upgrading;
7) A model for the sustainable delivery of housing in South Africa;
8) Unauthorised land occupation and evictions; and
9) Financial Management and Literacy.

The provision of housing to the previously disadvantaged South Africans was a priority for the newly elected democratic government since 1994 and to date government delivered 4.3 million houses using different housing instruments. The definition of human settlements, according to UN Habitat: the totality of human community whether a city, town or a village with all social, material, organizational, spiritual and cultural elements that sustain it. This means human settlements must be well-managed entities in which economic growth and social development are in balance with carrying capacity of the natural systems on which they depend for their existence and result in sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and equity.

In her opening remarks and welcoming address, SALGA Provincial Chairperson of the Human Settlement and Municipal Planning Working Group, Clr. Flora Maboa-Boltman said that 'community issues must be of more priority, especially those concerning human settlement and basic living conditions. As government we are because people are. We need to serve the people who put us in power'.

Presentations

Dr Thomas Ramovha did a research on a model for the sustainable delivery of housing for South Africa. The aim of this research was to examine the factors that influence the delivery of housing in South Africa, and to examine current and past housing delivery models employed in other contexts (developed and developing nations) in order to develop a model for the sustainable delivery of housing. The following were objectives of this study in order to develop the model for SA:

• RO1: To establish the current theories and literature on housing provision and to identify gaps for consideration in the study.
• RO2: To establish elements of a model for the sustainable delivery of housing
• RO3: To identify critical enablers for the sustainable delivery of housing.
• RO4: To identify and evaluate factors that contribute to the high demand for state- subsidised housing in South Africa.
• RO5: To identify and evaluate factors that hamper the delivery of housing in South Africa.
• RO6: To determine the current role-players and stakeholders in the delivery of housing and their roles.
• RO7: To develop a model for the sustainable delivery of housing for South Africa.

Mr Vusi Hartley from NHBRC presented on the Housing Development Value Chain. The role of the NHBRC is to enforce all Mandatory Requirements of the National Building Regulation (NBR) Act and Compliance to Housing Consumers Protection Measures (HCPM) Act. The purpose of the Housing Consumer Protection Measures Act, Act No. 95 of 1998 is to “To protect the housing consumers and regulate the home built environment by promoting innovative home building technologies and improving the capabilities of home builders”. Monitoring is done through the National Building Regulation (NBR) Act.

Ms Dudu Singeni presented on the overview of Human Settlements policy and government housing programmes. Human settlements spans multiple functions: water, housing, sanitation, planning, waste management etc. Successful implementation requires integrated planning and simultaneous delivery by all three spheres of government. There are four types of interventions set out in the National Housing Code as per the table below:

• Financial Interventions – Individual Subsidy; Financed Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP); Enhanced Extended Discount Benefit Scheme (EEDBS); Accreditation of Municipalities; Operational Capital Budget Programme; Social and Economic Amenities Programme; Housing Chapters of IDP.
• Incremental Interventions - Consolidation Subsidy; Integrated Residential Development Programme; Emergency Housing Assistance; Informal Settlement Upgrading; Enhanced People’s Housing Process.
• Social and Rental Interventions - Social Housing; Institutional Housing; Community Residential Units.
• Rural Interventions - Farm Residents Programme; Informal Land Rights; Other Programmes

Ms Portia Peter and Ms Nonkuli Khumalo presented on the National Housing Needs Register (NHNR) and its implications for Municipalities and Provinces. The NHNR provides the following:

• Consolidation of existing waiting lists / demand databases;
• Enabling households that do not appear on existing waiting lists / demand databases to register their need for adequate shelter as well as updating of their household information ;
• Does not allow for the editing of the registration date, the date that a household registered on a waiting list / demand database or NHNR;
• Ensure that the allocation of housing opportunities are done in a fair, transparent & auditable manner at a provincial & municipal level;
• Current allocation criteria;
• That the households are selected based on the oldest registration date & then based on the relevant criteria; and
• Planning & Budgeting on new project to be informed based on the household information on the NHNR.