RDP owners hope new housing bill is a solution to poorly built houses

Residents of Mabopane and Germiston told Parliament’s Human Settlements Portfolio Committee on Saturday that they hope the Consumer Protection Housing Bill will be a solution to poorly built RDP homes.

The committee leads the final leg of public hearings on the bill on Sunday at the Orlando Communal Hall in Johannesburg.

She held the first public hearings on Friday in Gauteng in Mabopane and Saturday in Germiston as part of a nationwide public participatory process, which they see as central to the legislative process.

According to a press statement, participants at Saturday’s meeting called for regulation against poor quality building materials, particularly in poor communities.

Portfolio CommitteeChairman Machwene Semenya said that at both hearings there was overwhelming support for the bill nd that there was, however, a common demand to address and regulate the proliferation of businesses in the community that sell poor building materials Building materials pose a risk on two fronts: first, the high risk they pose to people’s lives, and also the likelihood that they could affect the ability of consumers to make claims against the guarantee fund.

“Similarly as at other public hearings in the two provinces already visited, residents of Mabopane and Germiston told the committee they hope the bill will be a solution to poorly built RDP homes.”

Semenya said residents spoke about the need for legal protections for beneficiaries of RDP homes to ensure the ministry is delivering quality homes ser that can accommodate people with disabilities.

“Residents called on the committee to ensure that the government, particularly the Ministry of Human Settlements, has strong and sound oversight mechanisms to oversee the construction of houses , to ensure that the homes that people are using adhere to building standards.”

She said the municipality welcomed the reassurance that the bill’s primary intent is to increase collaboration among inspectors at local, provincial and and national levels to ensure effective and high-quality surveillance.

Participants in the hearings called for expedited delivery of title deeds to beneficiaries of RDP homes.

The Declaration According to them, this process has stalled as they are not the legal owners of the houses – houses without title deeds.

Semenya said the residents r expressed appreciation that the law should ensure home builders are registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council to ensure building standards are raised within the construction industry. They also wanted inspections to be carried out to ensure compliance with standards and specifications required by law.

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