Reg Rumney
Housing subsidies and infrastructure have the biggest chunk of allocations from the Reconstruction and Development Programme Fund — R1,4-billion out of R7,8-billion.
This is revealed in Minister without Portfolio Jay Naidoo’s report to Parliament last week, Taking the RDP Forward.
The document shows R1,4-billion has been allocated from the RDP Fund to boost resources available to the provincial housing boards and to link housing and bulk infrastructure. The money is to be divided equally between housing subsidies and infrastructure.
Add to this R20-million for the National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency, which will promote development of small and medium enterprises in housing and urban development.
Second comes free health services, with R1,2-billion, and then the primary school nutrition programme, with around
The document also gives some idea of how much has actually been spent so far on the RDP Fund’s Presidential Lead
Of R2,8-billion approved, around R1,1-billion has found its way to departments.
And of that the “main users” got R976-million — free health services got R257-million, primary school nutrition R350-million, education R215-million, and local authorities
Reasons cited for rolling over around R1,7-billion of the approved R2,8-billion will be familiar to anyone involved in attempting meaningful development: “Capacity problems in the provinces”, and “protracted consultation processes”.
Naidoo brings up once more the idea of using life insurance, endowment, pension and provident fund money for
“During the Seventies the government secured a substantial private-sector investment in bonds issued by white local authorities. Our aim is to mobilise an even larger sum through new democratic local authorities.”
Naidoo says the RDP Office is planning a private investment conference in August to come up with a plan to direct some of the billions in the coffers of the contractual savings institutions towards local government services and
Naidoo has been quoted as saying this does not mean a return to the prescribed asset requirements of yore, whereby the institutions were forced to invest at below- market rates in government investments. This time the investment will be “voluntary”.
In September, according to the document, the second RDP white paper will be published.
In December a development planning summit will be held, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Forum. Conclusions reached there will be drawn together into a “National Strategy for Growth and Development”.
Early in 1996, says Naidoo, the National Strategy for Growth and Development should be debated in Parliament and finalised by the government and our social partners.
“This will then set the stage for the budgeting process for the 1997/98 financial year.”