Sexwale : 12 milllion people still in need of housing : South Africa
The SABC are reporting Saturday that Human Settlements Minister, Tokyo Sexwale, has confirmed that there is a backlog of two million housing units in the country.According to the Minister government still has to provide houses for 12 million people in South Africa.He was speaking at the launch of Tau Village, an inner city Social Housing project, in Pretoria on Friday and acknowledged that the government needed to meet people’s basic needs.The report also confirms that the residents of Tshabho - a village near Berlin in the Eastern Cape - have called on the Minister to investigate their housing project. While a company had been awarded a tender the project failed to take off. In addition that they have documents claiming to have finished their houses which was not true. According to residents' chairperson, Sizwe Yaka, several meetings have been held with the provincial department without resolving the issues.
Keyword - Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, backlog, million, housing, moladi, concrete homes, sustainable development, South Africa, corrupt, fraud, SABS, basic need, job creation, houses, rdp, subsidy
Showing posts with label housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housing. Show all posts
Lindikhaya Mpambani.: Acting housing CEO paid R4m
Lindikhaya Mpambani - South Africa: Acting housing CEO paid R4m
government housing company has paid its acting chief executive officer a R2.1-million bonus on top of his R2.2m salary.Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale revealed in a written parliamentary reply that Servcon Housing Solutions had, during the 2008/09 financial year, paid out more than R1m in a performance bonus and R1.1m as a retention bonus to acting CEO, Lindikhaya Mpambani. Servcon is a Human Settlements Department entity that deals with the registration and verification of state property.The Daily News was unable to reach Mpambani for comment.Sexwale said all Servcon employees had received a retention bonus during the 2008/09 financial year, but all the payments were approved by the company's board remuneration committee.
The minister did not say how much the other employees received. In May, former public works director-general, Manye Moroka, was grilled by Parliament's spending watchdog over a potential conflict of interest after he awarded Servcon and another state company, Intersite, a tender of R223m while he was a board member of Servcon.Moroka disagreed with MPs that there was a conflict of interest in awarding the contract.The standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) also questioned the R215 000 bonus Moroka got from Servcon even though he had left the company and started working as public works director-general.Moroka said he had invested the bonus. After joining the government, Moroka continued to serve on Servcon's board and chaired its remuneration committee.He also told MPs that he had recommended to then public works minister, Thoko Didiza, and provincial MECs that Servcon be given the tender. Former public works director-general, Sam Vukela, told Scopa that the department had paid Servcon R7.6m and Intersite R2.8m for work done so far. The two companies were given contracts to audit all state assets across the country. Moroka quit as public works director-general late last year after fighting with Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge over the R215 000 bonus. Doidge accused Moroka of awarding the contract without following tender procedures. Moroka admitted to Scopa that there was no budget for the R223m tender.
Keywords - Lindikhaya Mpambani, Servcon, Tokyo Sexwale, housing, bonus, defunked, housing, South Africa, government owned enterprise
government housing company has paid its acting chief executive officer a R2.1-million bonus on top of his R2.2m salary.Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale revealed in a written parliamentary reply that Servcon Housing Solutions had, during the 2008/09 financial year, paid out more than R1m in a performance bonus and R1.1m as a retention bonus to acting CEO, Lindikhaya Mpambani. Servcon is a Human Settlements Department entity that deals with the registration and verification of state property.The Daily News was unable to reach Mpambani for comment.Sexwale said all Servcon employees had received a retention bonus during the 2008/09 financial year, but all the payments were approved by the company's board remuneration committee.
The minister did not say how much the other employees received. In May, former public works director-general, Manye Moroka, was grilled by Parliament's spending watchdog over a potential conflict of interest after he awarded Servcon and another state company, Intersite, a tender of R223m while he was a board member of Servcon.Moroka disagreed with MPs that there was a conflict of interest in awarding the contract.The standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) also questioned the R215 000 bonus Moroka got from Servcon even though he had left the company and started working as public works director-general.Moroka said he had invested the bonus. After joining the government, Moroka continued to serve on Servcon's board and chaired its remuneration committee.He also told MPs that he had recommended to then public works minister, Thoko Didiza, and provincial MECs that Servcon be given the tender. Former public works director-general, Sam Vukela, told Scopa that the department had paid Servcon R7.6m and Intersite R2.8m for work done so far. The two companies were given contracts to audit all state assets across the country. Moroka quit as public works director-general late last year after fighting with Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge over the R215 000 bonus. Doidge accused Moroka of awarding the contract without following tender procedures. Moroka admitted to Scopa that there was no budget for the R223m tender.
Keywords - Lindikhaya Mpambani, Servcon, Tokyo Sexwale, housing, bonus, defunked, housing, South Africa, government owned enterprise
Ghana Ministers Accused of Misconduct in Housing Deal
Ghana Ministers Accused of Misconduct in Housing Deal General News 2010-07-17
Two cabinet ministers of Ghana are under pressure to resign as they face misconduct accusations in a housing deal between the government and a South Korean-owned firm.The agreement of the deal was suspended indefinitely by the parliament on Thursday on grounds that certain portions of the draft were missing.The ministers involved are Alban Bagbin, minister of water resources, works and housing, and Kwabena Duffuor, minister of finance and economic planning, who worked on the deal before its submission to the parliament.The deal, worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, was negotiated between the government and the STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Limited, and involves construction of affordable housing units in the next five years.Spio Garbrah, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, told a local radio on Friday that the suspension proved the officials in charge of the agreement had done a rather "poor job."Edward Ennin, an opposition lawmaker, called for immediate resignation of the two ministers, saying that they had failed to heed advice from some lawmakers that the STX housing deal deserved proper scrutiny before it was brought before the parliament for approval.The Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana's anti-corruption agency, also called for the dismissal of the ministers whose inaction, it says, led to the suspension of the debate over the deal in the parliament
Keywords - Ghana, Minister, Housing, misconduct, billion dollars, stx, concrete homes, human settlement, Rural Development
Two cabinet ministers of Ghana are under pressure to resign as they face misconduct accusations in a housing deal between the government and a South Korean-owned firm.The agreement of the deal was suspended indefinitely by the parliament on Thursday on grounds that certain portions of the draft were missing.The ministers involved are Alban Bagbin, minister of water resources, works and housing, and Kwabena Duffuor, minister of finance and economic planning, who worked on the deal before its submission to the parliament.The deal, worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, was negotiated between the government and the STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Limited, and involves construction of affordable housing units in the next five years.Spio Garbrah, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, told a local radio on Friday that the suspension proved the officials in charge of the agreement had done a rather "poor job."Edward Ennin, an opposition lawmaker, called for immediate resignation of the two ministers, saying that they had failed to heed advice from some lawmakers that the STX housing deal deserved proper scrutiny before it was brought before the parliament for approval.The Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana's anti-corruption agency, also called for the dismissal of the ministers whose inaction, it says, led to the suspension of the debate over the deal in the parliament
Keywords - Ghana, Minister, Housing, misconduct, billion dollars, stx, concrete homes, human settlement, Rural Development
Houses of horror - RDP housing corruption
Houses of horror - RDP housing projects corruption disappearance of millions intended for housing for the poor.
HIGH-RANKING Sundays River Municipality officials have been implicated in an extensive web of alleged corruption involving the disappearance of millions of rands intended for housing for the poor.
Allegations of gross mismanagement and fraud relating to four key RDP housing projects – for which more than R100-million was set aside in the once-thriving municipality – have been laid bare after a Herald investigation that was triggered by a government-initiated forensic audit in the newspaper’s possession.
So crippling has the alleged corruption been that the municipality’s accounts have been frozen.
The provincial administration has revoked its responsibility for any projects involving large sums of money, such as housing delivery, while it is placed under administration until it becomes functional again.
Government sources say arrests are imminent.
Tens of millions of rands have been paid to builders who were never authorised to become contractors on the RDP developments and who failed to complete the projects, while key officials have been accused of entering into “corrupt relationships” with councillors and their relatives by awarding them lucrative RDP home building contracts.
Top officials and councillors have also been accused of contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act by allegedly profiting from municipal building tenders – which they are accused of influencing for their own benefit – by awarding them to their families or companies they have shares in.
They, in turn, upped and left after completing only half the work.
Authorities are also trying to recoup up to R8-million which “vanished” from municipal coffers. The Herald has learnt the money was paid to contractors – who were never given the official municipal approval to work on the various developments – from a municipal account accessed by someone using the password of a former chief financial officer.
The projects at the centre of the cash scandal include those in Enon and Bersheba and Moses Mabhida in Kirkwood to which the Housing Department respectively granted R26.5-million to build 450 homes, and R45.7- million for 750 houses.
In Addo, a project in Nomathamsanqa township was granted R18-million for 300 RDP houses, while a stone’s throw away in Noluthando, R28-million was released for the building of 801 homes.
The projects, began between 2006 and mid-2008, should have been completed by now, but have ground to a halt. The Herald found hundreds of half-built homes throughout all four projects.
The figures are contained in a continuing forensic audit by the Housing Department, a report on which is in The Herald’s possession.
An inspection by the newspaper of the four housing projects revealed none were complete, with several hundred homes either half-built or mere shells with no piping or internal finishes such as ceilings. In many cases, houses lucky enough to have roofs did not have water or electricity or connection to sewerage pipes, effectively forcing the occupants to be reliant on a bucket system.
At least four councillors, two top municipal officials and several private contractors – some of whom are family of the councillors – are being probed in forensic investigations by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), known as the Cobras, as well as the Housing and provincial Local Government and Traditional Affairs departments.
The Herald has learnt that the East London-based SIU – which two weeks ago seized and copied the hard drives of the municipality’s computers as part of its probe – has passed on its findings to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi confirmed yesterday that the police unit was looking into three investigations regarding the municipality.
Former acting municipal manager Lungiswa Roji has also been suspended and is understood this week to be facing a disciplinary hearing for allegedly turning a blind eye to major irregularities by councillors and officials implicated in the scandal.
In March, Local Government MEC Sicelo Gqobana placed the Sundays River Municipality under administration and sent in Vuyo Zitumani as acting municipal manager to solve all the problems which had crippled delivery in the area.
Zitumani acted in a similar capacity in 2007 when she was made acting municipal manager of Mthatha for nine months.
Sources close to the businesswoman said she was shocked at the level of corruption within the municipality when she arrived four months ago.
“When it comes to officials (found to be corrupt), we will be hard on them,” said Zitumani, who yesterday refused to disclose the names of those implicated in the various probes.
“There are serious allegations which the SIU has reported to the MEC,” she said.
“We want to wrap up the investigations as soon as possible. The communities want to see action and are very eager to see an outcome.”
Zitumani said the area’s housing development status – allowing the municipality to oversee developments – had been revoked and was now in the hands of the provincial department.
She has also cancelled five housing tenders which were awarded irregularly.
Keywords - RDP, housing, housing for the poor, housing tenders, Municipality officials, corruption, millions, corrupt, builders, contractors, RDP developments, Top officials, councillors, human settlements, Housing Department, Local Government, MEC Sicelo Gqobana
HIGH-RANKING Sundays River Municipality officials have been implicated in an extensive web of alleged corruption involving the disappearance of millions of rands intended for housing for the poor.
Allegations of gross mismanagement and fraud relating to four key RDP housing projects – for which more than R100-million was set aside in the once-thriving municipality – have been laid bare after a Herald investigation that was triggered by a government-initiated forensic audit in the newspaper’s possession.
So crippling has the alleged corruption been that the municipality’s accounts have been frozen.
The provincial administration has revoked its responsibility for any projects involving large sums of money, such as housing delivery, while it is placed under administration until it becomes functional again.
Government sources say arrests are imminent.
Tens of millions of rands have been paid to builders who were never authorised to become contractors on the RDP developments and who failed to complete the projects, while key officials have been accused of entering into “corrupt relationships” with councillors and their relatives by awarding them lucrative RDP home building contracts.
Top officials and councillors have also been accused of contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act by allegedly profiting from municipal building tenders – which they are accused of influencing for their own benefit – by awarding them to their families or companies they have shares in.
They, in turn, upped and left after completing only half the work.
Authorities are also trying to recoup up to R8-million which “vanished” from municipal coffers. The Herald has learnt the money was paid to contractors – who were never given the official municipal approval to work on the various developments – from a municipal account accessed by someone using the password of a former chief financial officer.
The projects at the centre of the cash scandal include those in Enon and Bersheba and Moses Mabhida in Kirkwood to which the Housing Department respectively granted R26.5-million to build 450 homes, and R45.7- million for 750 houses.
In Addo, a project in Nomathamsanqa township was granted R18-million for 300 RDP houses, while a stone’s throw away in Noluthando, R28-million was released for the building of 801 homes.
The projects, began between 2006 and mid-2008, should have been completed by now, but have ground to a halt. The Herald found hundreds of half-built homes throughout all four projects.
The figures are contained in a continuing forensic audit by the Housing Department, a report on which is in The Herald’s possession.
An inspection by the newspaper of the four housing projects revealed none were complete, with several hundred homes either half-built or mere shells with no piping or internal finishes such as ceilings. In many cases, houses lucky enough to have roofs did not have water or electricity or connection to sewerage pipes, effectively forcing the occupants to be reliant on a bucket system.
At least four councillors, two top municipal officials and several private contractors – some of whom are family of the councillors – are being probed in forensic investigations by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), known as the Cobras, as well as the Housing and provincial Local Government and Traditional Affairs departments.
The Herald has learnt that the East London-based SIU – which two weeks ago seized and copied the hard drives of the municipality’s computers as part of its probe – has passed on its findings to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi confirmed yesterday that the police unit was looking into three investigations regarding the municipality.
Former acting municipal manager Lungiswa Roji has also been suspended and is understood this week to be facing a disciplinary hearing for allegedly turning a blind eye to major irregularities by councillors and officials implicated in the scandal.
In March, Local Government MEC Sicelo Gqobana placed the Sundays River Municipality under administration and sent in Vuyo Zitumani as acting municipal manager to solve all the problems which had crippled delivery in the area.
Zitumani acted in a similar capacity in 2007 when she was made acting municipal manager of Mthatha for nine months.
Sources close to the businesswoman said she was shocked at the level of corruption within the municipality when she arrived four months ago.
“When it comes to officials (found to be corrupt), we will be hard on them,” said Zitumani, who yesterday refused to disclose the names of those implicated in the various probes.
“There are serious allegations which the SIU has reported to the MEC,” she said.
“We want to wrap up the investigations as soon as possible. The communities want to see action and are very eager to see an outcome.”
Zitumani said the area’s housing development status – allowing the municipality to oversee developments – had been revoked and was now in the hands of the provincial department.
She has also cancelled five housing tenders which were awarded irregularly.
Keywords - RDP, housing, housing for the poor, housing tenders, Municipality officials, corruption, millions, corrupt, builders, contractors, RDP developments, Top officials, councillors, human settlements, Housing Department, Local Government, MEC Sicelo Gqobana
Housing or human settlements
Take back the power - Times LIVE
Dr Mamphela Ramphele says it is time for ordinary South Africans to once again seize control of their own destinies - and firmly remind puffed-up leaders that citizens are the real rulers of this country
We also need to change our development model as a society. A society of passive citizens waiting for delivery of services from government is a society at risk. Imagine how much of an impact we could have had on poverty over the past 15 years if we had involved poor people in the formulation and implementation of development projects in their communities!
Take housing or human settlements. The involvement of prospective house owners in the mapping of settlements, the laying of infrastructure, the building of houses, including all the finishing touches done under management and supervision of experts, would not just produce better houses and neighbourhoods. It would also provide a skills-training base for thousands of young people trapped in poverty. It could defuse the time bomb we are sitting on, of 50% of those aged between 20 and 24 who are wallowing in despair: not in school, not in training and not employed.
We also need to review our approach to social welfare. Our tax base cannot sustain 13 million welfare-grant recipients. Nor is it desirable to have so many people depending on hand-outs. Why not learn from Latin America and turn welfare-grant recipients, other than the severely disabled and the aged, into trainees for productive lives as skilled workers or entrepreneurs? The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is another example of empowering poor people by giving them a leg-up and not just a hand-out.
Ramphele is former MD of the World Bank and vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town
Dr Mamphela Ramphele says it is time for ordinary South Africans to once again seize control of their own destinies - and firmly remind puffed-up leaders that citizens are the real rulers of this country
We also need to change our development model as a society. A society of passive citizens waiting for delivery of services from government is a society at risk. Imagine how much of an impact we could have had on poverty over the past 15 years if we had involved poor people in the formulation and implementation of development projects in their communities!
Take housing or human settlements. The involvement of prospective house owners in the mapping of settlements, the laying of infrastructure, the building of houses, including all the finishing touches done under management and supervision of experts, would not just produce better houses and neighbourhoods. It would also provide a skills-training base for thousands of young people trapped in poverty. It could defuse the time bomb we are sitting on, of 50% of those aged between 20 and 24 who are wallowing in despair: not in school, not in training and not employed.
We also need to review our approach to social welfare. Our tax base cannot sustain 13 million welfare-grant recipients. Nor is it desirable to have so many people depending on hand-outs. Why not learn from Latin America and turn welfare-grant recipients, other than the severely disabled and the aged, into trainees for productive lives as skilled workers or entrepreneurs? The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is another example of empowering poor people by giving them a leg-up and not just a hand-out.
Ramphele is former MD of the World Bank and vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town
The Housing Development Agency
The Housing Development Agency
The Housing Development Agency - HDA -was launched earlier this month to gain land for housing development. It will also assist in achieving government's target of eradicating slums by 2014.
Since 1994, the Government has built 2,7-million houses providing shelter to over 13-million people. By the end of this month, about 2,8-million houses would have been built, providing shelter to more than 13,5-million people. It is expected that the HDA will fast track housing delivery.
The HDA has already established four projects in the county: one in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northern Cape and in Limpopo.
To view the interview with Mr. Taffy Adler click here - Video
The Housing Development Agency - HDA -was launched earlier this month to gain land for housing development. It will also assist in achieving government's target of eradicating slums by 2014.
Since 1994, the Government has built 2,7-million houses providing shelter to over 13-million people. By the end of this month, about 2,8-million houses would have been built, providing shelter to more than 13,5-million people. It is expected that the HDA will fast track housing delivery.
The HDA has already established four projects in the county: one in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northern Cape and in Limpopo.
To view the interview with Mr. Taffy Adler click here - Video
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