Mashaba tackles Maile’s vow to halt ‘housing funds’

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has requested an urgent meeting with Gauteng human settlements MEC Lebogang Maile to address a vow by Maile to withhold funds allocated for the purpose of tackling the province’s massive housing backlog.

This comes after Maile issued a statement indicating his intent to withhold the city’s Human Settlement Development Grant (HSDG). Maile’s reason is that “there is no political will by the DA-EFF governing coalition to utilise the funds for housing”.

The meeting request by Mashaba is not only to provide Maile with more clarity but to reassure him that work is in progress.

“Not only have a number of the MEC’s concerns been addressed with his predecessor on the 24th of January 2019 – the recordings of which I am happy to provide the MEC on his request – but engagements have also been on-going between officials in the city and the province,” said Mashaba.

“Initially, the city had been allocated R249 million for the purpose of subsidising 595 RDP units, 1,385 service stands and 400 CRU per the provincial gazette. Provincial government later adjusted this amount downward to R68.9 million during their adjustment period without sufficient reason and without legal cause.

“Following consultations between the city and province, an agreement was reached in November of last year which resulted in R204 million being re-allocated to the city for the achievement of 1,200 units and 548 CRU’s. As a result of provincial government’s failure to timeously remedy this matter, the city was left in a period of uncertainty lasting close to four months where [the] province had not transferred the agreed upon allocation, frustrating service delivery.”

To date, the city has reportedly spent R57 million of the R204 million allocated to it. Given current progress, all projects should achieve the expected yield of accommodation by the end of the 2019/20 financial year, Mashaba said.

According to him, Maile was under a misguided perception that no work was currently taking place at projects in certain areas such as South Hills, Vlakfontein West, and Lehae and nothing could be further from the truth.

The mayor reiterated that the city had made prior commitments to spend the allocated budget, and developers and contractors have been working to deliver on the projects. This has been provided to Maile in the form of a report to address his concerns.

Mashaba has also requested for the meeting to be chaired by Gauteng Premier David Makhura in order to provide a way forward as “there can be no room for political point scoring in the realm of service delivery” as residents stood to suffer as a result.

The MEC is on a one-man crusade against the city of Johannesburg, and should efforts to derail projects by Maile prevail, Mashaba warned that city would not hesitate to take legal action.

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