COGHSTA

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS DIRECTORATE

BRIEFING NOTES

MEMO NO.:

DATE:8 August 2013

SUBJECT:NORTH WEST HOUSING CORPORATION PROPERTIES AND HOUSING PROJECTS STILL TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE NORTHERN CAPE

  1. PURPOSE

To inform the Portfolio Committee on theNorth West Housing Corporation propertiesand Housing Projects inGa-Segonyana, Joe Morolong and Phokwane Local Municipalities that still needs to be finalised and transferred to the Northern Cape.

  1. BACKGROUND

Parliament’s oversight committee visited the Northern Cape Province with an objective to inter alia, track progress on housing delivery, assess the impact of various housing programmes and to advise accordingly

During the meeting the committee questioned and was informed that some of the properties belonging to the North West Housing Corporation and housing projects belonging to the North West government are not yet finalised and transferred to the Northern Cape.

The Committee resolved to invite the respective provinces and municipalities to attend a Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements meeting in Parliament with an aim to finding an amicable solution to the challenges.

  1. DISCUSSION

After the amalgamation of some of the areas into the Northern Cape Province in 2006 discussion were held between the Northern Cape and the North West Department of Housing with respect to housing projects.A service level agreement was entered into between the both provinces wherein it was stated that,all contractual commitments in respect of projects approved by the Releasing Province (North West) prior to the effective date regarding a particular area shall be financed by the Releasing Province during the 2006/2007 financial year and by 31 March 2007 all current projects shall be completed by the realising province ; if the current projects are not yet completed on 31 march 2007 the releasing and the receiving provinces will by mutual agreement determine how the projects will be managed in future”

The respective projects were not completed and in 2007 an addendum was entered into for the extension of the takeover to 31 March 2008. A steering committee was established and a number of meetings were held between both provinces to ensure that the successful completion of the projects. Both the provinces undertook an investigation on the outstanding work and the North West Province appointed a service provided (Metro Projects) to undertake the outstanding work that is the completion of the Pampierstad 900, Pampierstad 250, Mothibistad 1000, Seoding 750 and Ba go Motlhware 500 projects.

The service provider worked closely with the Northern Cape Regional Offices and respective municipalities. The only project completed was the Pampierstad 900. The service provider disbanded the site and informed the Regional Office officials that the North West Department requested them to stop all work on the projects.

The department wrote to the Head of Department including to the MEC of North West regarding this long outstanding matter and no positive responsive was received. However, the Acting HOD indicated verbally that it was a political decision to stop the projects.

  1. NORTH WEST HOUSING COOPERATION PROPERTIES

The Northern Cape Department of COGHSTA is renting a property that belongs to the North West Housing Corporation in Kuruman.

  1. HOUSING PROJECTS

5.1GA-SEGONYANA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

5.1.1Mothibistad 1000 Housing

This project commenced in April 2005 and was envisaged to be completed in 2007. The project entailed the following:

Project Manager: Metro Projects

Contractor: Tshireletso Developers and project Managers cc.

Challenges

Surveying, Pegging and Township establishment

Post the construction phase, the Beneficiaries had to erect fences around their houses and the pegs could not be found. The Municipality had to fund the Re-Survey of the area as the pegs where removed during the construction period.

Design and Construction of Essential services

  • Water and Sewage

The Municipality is currently been faced with challenges of having to maintain and operate systems put in place by the contractors. The work was of a poor standard. The flow in the sewer pipes is not according to standard and this result in the sewer effluent flowing into people’s yards due to blockages. The water connections where substandard and all the pipes had to be fixed by the Municipality in order to reduce water loss. Most pipes remain exposed, and are continuously leaking. Taps were fitted too close to the walls and where there are leakages, the water damages the walls and slabs.

  • Roads

The internal roads remain gravel, and require intensive maintenance throughout the financial year. They are in a poor state and the Municipality cannot cope with the demand to maintain them at regular intervals.

  • Electricity and Street lighting

ESKOM has electrified the area, although adequate street lighting would also assist. The Municipality has deployed only three (3) high mast lights through MIG due to high levels of crime in the area.

Construction of Houses

During this phase of the project it is quite clear that there was very little monitoring and inspections of the houses. This led to the poor quality houses that need to be rectified. The houses have many defects ranging from:

Leaking roofs;

Loose roofs as they are not banded to the wall;

Window frames are loose;

Doors are skew and some don’t even close properly;

Water/moisture penetration in walls;

Slabs/foundations exposed;

Damaged and uneven floors;

Poor cement or mortar mixes;

Paraplegic house not built in accordance with the needs of such beneficiaries;

Of the 1000 houses that were to be constructed 946 units were completed and 54 are outstanding. The challenge is that the outstanding 54 approved beneficiaries’ houses have not yet been built.

Allocation of Houses and registration of Beneficiaries

This process was undertaken by the contractor as this project was awarded as turnkey. This has led to some discrepancies as some beneficiaries where de-registered claiming that they were untraceable. Some of the beneficiaries have not yet received their title deeds.

5.1.2Seoding/Magobe 750 Houses

This project commenced in April of 2006. The project was envisaged to be completed in 2008. The project in two villages 360 Seoding and 380 Magojaneng and it entailed the following.

Project Managers: M3D Developers

Contractor 1: Lebogang Africa for Seoding 360

Contractor 2: MacDev for Magojeng 380

Surveying, Pegging and Township establishment

Post the construction phase the Beneficiaries had to erect fences around their houses and the pegs could not be found. The Municipality had to fund the Re-Survey of the area as the pegs where removed during the construction period. Although the General Plan was framed by the Land Surveyors, the township was never registered at the Surveyor General’s office.

Design and Construction of Essential Services

  • Water and Sewage

The Municipality is currently been faced with challenges of having to redo most of the under standard work that was done by the contractors. The water connections where substandard and all the pipes had to be fixed by the municipality in order to reduce water loss. Most water pipes were left exposed. The houses where provides with a yard connections and not house connections. The sanitation system implemented in this project was the UDS (Urine Diversion System). This system has since failed, and has been rejected in totality by the community. The municipality was expected to maintain this system, and this strategy failed due to budgetary constraints.The project is not yet handed over to the Municipality and Northern Cape Department of Human Settlements although the houses have been occupied for years. The Municipality is sitting with great challenges of insufficient bulk services amounting to an estimated R15m. This is to upgrade both the Water reservoir and the boreholes in Magojaneng as the water system for these areas are integrated.

  • Roads

The roads remain gravel and are very rocky. No plan was put in place to resurface the roads.

  • Electricity and Street lights

There are no street lights, and the community is exposed to high crime levels.

Construction of Houses

The challenges of the construction of the houses are all similar with mainly the following:

Leaking roofs;

Loose roofs as they are not banded to the wall;

Window frames are loose;

Doors are skew and some don’t even close properly;

Water penetration through walls;

Damaged and uneven floors;

Poor cement or concrete mix;

Beam filling was not done;

Of the 750 houses that were to be constructed, only 733 units were completed and 27 are outstanding. Similarly with Mothibistad, the beneficiaries have concluded this as a misappropriation/misuse of funds by the Municipality.

Allocation of Houses and registration of Beneficiaries

The Tribal Authority continues to meddle in the allocation of houses, misallocating the houses to the wrong beneficiaries. It has also resulted in criminal elements allocating houses in return for money from individuals.

5.1.3Batlharos 500 Units

This project commenced in June of 2006. The project was envisaged to be completed in 2008. The project in Batlharos was for 500 Low cost houses and it entailed the following:

Project Mangers/Consultants: NEP Consulting Engineers

Contractor 1: Tebogo James

Most of the challenges are similar to those in Seoding and Magobe Projects

The following challenges are being experienced:

  • Foundations of all 500 houses were not well excavated and the proposed solution is that an apron be casted right round the houses;
  • Water penetrates through the walls and the same suggestion as the above projects is proposed.
  • The community does not want the UDS Toilets.
  • There are no proper internal roads

5.1.4Bankhara/Bodulong 120 Houses

This project was implemented under the Northern Cape Human Settlements Department. It commenced in April of 2006. The project was envisaged to be completed in 2007, and entailed the following:

Contractor/Project Managers: Tshireletso Developers and project Managers cc.

The following challenges are being experienced:

  • Water penetrates through the walls;
  • There is still one outstanding house to be completed;
  • Roof leakages;
  • Loose roofs.

5.1.5WRENCHVILLE 100 HOUSES.

This project commenced in April 2004. The project was envisaged to be completed in 2005. The project entailed the following:

Developers: Tshireletso Developers and project Managers cc.

The following challenges are being experienced:

  • Water penetrates through the walls;
  • Cracks in walls;
  • Water and sewer connections substandard;

5.2JOE MOROLONG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

5.2.1Boithitong 400

Replacement of the UDS toilets with DP VIP – the project not yet rectified.

5.2.2Glenred 400

Replacement of the UDS toilets with DP VIP – the project not yet rectified.

5.3PHOKWANE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

5.3.1Pampierstad 900

900 houses has been rectified and completed.

5.3.2Pampierstad 250

250 houses has been rectified and completed.

6CONCLUSION

The Northern Cape Province will not be in a position to complete and rectify the projects as its Human Settlements Grant allocation is small and contractually committed to project. It is recommended that North West Province fulfil its obligation in finalising the projects and handing them over to the Northern Cape as per agreement signed by both parties failing which the National Department of Human Settlements top-slice the funding from North West and re-allocate it to the Northern Cape for completion of the said projects as the community are now up in arms with the protracted delays.

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