By Edwin Tshivhidzo
HOUSING Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has warned MECs who do not deliver or perform as expected that they will be held accountable for lack of service delivery.
The minister said this in the light of ongoing riots that have seen people in several provinces taking to the streets complaining about lack of housing delivery and other essential services.
However, Dr Sisulu admitted that some of the concerns raised by the rioters were genuine.
Addressing the media after a meeting with her provincial counterparts on Friday, she said government was aware of the problem and that they were dealing with it.
"We are acutely aware of the housing problems and the huge accumulated and growing backlog which we sadly inherited from a government that had defined us out of urban areas. We have been aware of the problem in housing, we all of us here went on door-to-door campaigns committing ourselves to making people's lives better," she said.
In a bid to ensure smooth housing delivery, the department has appointed auditors to audit the waiting lists in the various provinces to ensure stability and transparency.
Also to ensure speedy delivery of houses, the department was considering accrediting certain municipalities to build houses with lesser reliance on provinces.
"This is intended to address obstacles in the delivery of housing within the government system and ensure a healthy interdependence of government towards building sustainable human settlements," said Sisulu.
The minister added that provincial governments would in future play a greater role in the planning, coordination, prioritisation, facilitation, supporting and monitoring of municipalities to ensure they succeeded in the execution of their housing functions.
Source: BuaNews
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