Infrastructure
Interpellation 3
With reference to his reply to question 6 of 3 October 2025 in which it was explained that the land belonged to the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust and the national government, meaning that any future plans must be directed to those owners:
What obligations, if any, does the Western Cape Government have to (a) include the settlement and the dwellers in a housing plan and (b) implement a service plan for the occupiers, regardless of who owns the land?
(a)(b) In alignment with the Western Cape Government’s strategic approach anchored in the Informal Settlements Support Plan (ISSP), the prioritisation of informal settlements for intervention is guided by a set of criteria, including factors such as vulnerability, age or year of establishment, and other relevant considerations. In this context, the informal settlement in question falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town, which is obligated to take reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that all inhabitants within its area have access to basic services, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. In addition, households that qualify for housing opportunities may be supported through human settlements developments managed by either the City of Cape Town or my Department within the relevant catchment areas, further advancing the objectives of inclusive and sustainable settlement upgrading.
ADDITIONAL RESPONSE:
Section 9(1)(a)(i) and (iii) of the Housing Act 107 of 1997 provides that:
“Every municipality must, as part of the municipality’s process of integrated development planning, take all reasonable and necessary steps within the framework of national and provincial housing legislation and policy to,
- ensure that the inhabitants of its area of jurisdiction have access to adequate housing on a progressive basis; and
- ensure that services in respect of water, sanitation, electricity, roads, storm-water drainage and transport are provided in a manner which is economically efficient.”
