Grahamstown | Thursday
THE Eastern Cape housing department has spent just 33% of its R540-million budget and has just one month left in the current financial year to utilising the remaining R360-million.
Housing representative Mbulelo Linda said the ”mechanisms” for spending ”most” of the balance were in place through the Rapid Land Development Programme (RLDP).
”We are confident that if we have to apply for a rollover (of funds to the next financial year) it will be minimal and well within the required five percent (of the total housing budget).”
Linda said spending was delayed by the conveyancing stage which dealt with the transfer of property.
Housing MEC Gugile Nkwinti said he had raised the problem with the national Housing Department. He recently complained that the distribution of land to local authorities was being radically slowed down by bureaucratic delays. This was worsened by conveyancing problems and the Cape Town deeds head office, which did not prioritise Eastern Cape land transfers.
He called for the strengthening of the provincial deeds offices in Umtata and King William’s Town so they serve the province promptly.
Another problem slowing down the housing delivery process was the lack of administrative and financial capacity at municipal level.
Linda said a total of 23 787 serviced sites were developed with the RLDP and emerging contractors were currently building houses on these sites. – Sapa