During Scifest Africa one of our reporters attended a talk about the effeciency of the South African government in constructing stadiums for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the fact that no such action is taken when it comes to providing proper housing for the poor.
During Scifest Africa one of our reporters attended a talk about the effeciency of the South African government in constructing stadiums for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the fact that no such action is taken when it comes to providing proper housing for the poor.
This observation really strikes a chord. Disadvantaged people throughout the country have been given low quality RDP houses.
This has resulted in some falling apart almost completely, risking the lives of the occupants. It is disheartening to see some of the RDP houses built by government-contracted companies.
Grocott’s Mail has published an article about RDP houses built in Eluxolweni township with all too obvious defects.
The situation in Eluxolweni is a typical example of the shoddy job done by most RDP contractors throughout the country.
The provincial Department of Housing and our municipality really should take responsibility and ensure that the contractors they have hired have experience and have a good reputation.
Government should set stricter penalties for contractors who do not deliver a satisfactory job. Blacklisting them would be one option, however one cannot be sure whether these measures could be applied to all non-performing contractors as most of them are owned by government employees.
Towards the end of last year, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale recieved applause from all corners of the country when he said R300-million would be allocated to rectify poorly built RDP houses.
Yet, to date, no major improvement has been seen. Of course, residents are frustrated about the condition of their houses and all the structures built by our government.
We often receive complaints from the public about such issues. The municipality needs to clarify such issues to people. Who is responsible for the snags in RDP houses and toilets?
It is in fact the duty of the local government to educate people about whatever is done within government structures.
We are hoping that after the World Cup frenzy, government will swiftly build good quality houses for the poor as they have done with the stadiums.
We wish all our readers happy Easter holidays and safe travelling on the roads.The next edition of Grocott’s Mail will be be available on Friday, 9 April
