Cape pays R43m to repair RDP houses

The DA has attacked the ANC in the Western Cape, saying it has paid over R43m to repair poor workmanship on RDP houses. File photo: Ziphozonke Lushaba

The DA has attacked the ANC in the Western Cape, saying it has paid over R43m to repair poor workmanship on RDP houses. File photo: Ziphozonke Lushaba

Published May 21, 2015

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Cape Town - The DA has attacked the ANC in the Western Cape, saying it had to pay out over R43 million to repair poor workmanship on RDP houses haphazardly build by the ANC during their term in office.

This comes in light of media reports that the national Ministry of Human Settlements has spent more than R2 billion to repair RDP houses that had been poorly built by contractors in ANC-run provinces over the past three years.

Boasting about the DA’s track record, DA MPL Matlhodi Maseko said the DA-run Western Cape government has not had to repair any of the houses it built since taking office in 2009.

But the ANC disputed the DA’s claim, saying the DA had their fair share of shoddy housing jobs and unlike the ANC they’ve refused to respond to the problems.

“We have gone with the DA on oversight visits to Grabouw and Paarl where the community pointed out the bad work that had been done. Only a year after those residents in Grabouw moved into their houses, there were cracks in the structure,” ANC MPL Khaya Magaxa said.

He added that similar problems have emerged in Mossel Bay as well.

Magaxa said the DA is merely trying to hide the fact that they have not been able to match the housing delivery the ANC had when it was running the province.

He added that the DA was distorting and deliberately hiding their own dirty linen by pointing a finger at the ANC.

“The DA is trying to cover up for its failure to builds houses in this province. They are using this argument of shoddy work and poor construction as a mechanism to hide and defend themselves as to why they’ve been unable to meet the ANC threshold in terms of building houses,” he added.

But Maseko was adamant that the R43 238 023 that was spent on repairs could have built 400 additional houses.

“Poorly built houses are a result of the maladministration and corruption that plagues virtually every aspect of ANC-led national government,” Maseko insisted.

Maseko said during earlier parliamentary questions, it was revealed that 2 608 houses had been repaired in the Western Cape since 2009.

These repairs included:

* 54 houses build in Theewaterskloof in 2004 being repaired at a cost of R1.8 million.

* 16 units build prior to 1994 in Beaufort West had to be fixed at R1.4m.

* A further R31.6m was spend on repairs to 2 144 units build between 1998 and 2001 in Thembalethu, George.

* In Knysna, 213 units build between 1999 and 2000 as well as 32 units build pre-1994 was repaired at a cost of R4.3m.

* In the Swartland, 64 units build prior to 1994 was fixed at R2.9m and in the Swellendam area 85 houses build between 2005 and 2007 was repaired at a cost R904 000.

She added that in addition to slow economic growth, the housing backlog is worsened by the need to repair houses that have already been built. “This is a gross waste of public money that could have been better spent to provide more housing opportunities for the prioritised deserving beneficiaries, which included the elderly, the disabled and child headed households.”

Magaxa replied: “The DA has been reducing their housing targets every financial year. They have not increased the amounts of houses they have built, despite an increase in funding to build houses.”

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