SCORE: D

Before Mmamoloko Kubayi was moved to the department of justice and constitutional development on 3 December, the minister appeared to have had a good handle on the human settlements portfolio. It received a clean audit during the 2023-23 financial year, and there was no fruitless and wasteful expenditure either. The minister stabilised her executive by appointing a director general and four deputy director generals during the period and achieved 56% female representation in the department. But the department failed to meet its target of delivering 300  000 housing units for the 2019 to 2024 period, mainly because of the Covid pandemic, the 2021 July unrest and natural disasters. The issuing of title deeds, data management and digitisation of the national housing also delayed the department’s mandate to deliver affordable housing. The department admitted that there is room for improvement. Kubayi’s public presence in the wake of floods which left scores of people in rural settlements in Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal homeless was praiseworthy, but the delivery and provision of emergency housing amid these natural disasters was disappointingly slow. Some matters were beyond the minister’s control including land allocation and funding, but a lack of preparedness was evident. Kubayi was vigorous in attempts to deal with the construction mafia. Her successor, Thembi Simelane, has been invisible.