Pretoria - The government will not stop providing RDP houses for the needy, the Human Settlements Ministry said on Sunday.
“The Minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe Sisulu has noted with concern misleading media reports which suggest government was no longer going to provide breaking new ground (BNG), also known as RDP, houses to needy South Africans,” the ministry said in a statement.
These media reports “distort” Sisulu’s remarks at a press conference during the Habitat III Thematic Meeting on Informal Settlements in Tshwane last week.
“The department of human settlements will continue creating housing opportunities for all needy South Africans as part of living up to our ethos of respecting human rights and our people’s dignity,” Sisulu said in the statement.
“Everyone has a right to have access to adequate housing as stated in our Constitution which adds that ‘the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of this right’,” she said.
Countries all around the world faced serious economic constraints and there were competing demands, such as providing health, education, transport, and safety and security services. South Africa was not immune to this.
“Our government will continue to prioritise delivery of houses for the needy, such as child-headed households, elderly, and disabled people, and we will never deviate from this,” Sisulu said.
ANA