Will R525m for housing be spent in time, ask councillors
THERE are still some uncertainties about whether the Nelson Mandela Bay housing and land directorate will be able to spend R525-million allocated for housing by 2010.
Councillors questioned yesterday if there was written commitment from province on the allocation and whether the municipality had submitted project plans to the provincial housing department.
DA councillor Andrew Gibbon said he was concerned that the municipality could have its plans ready but the province could pull the plug and not allocate the funds.
United Democratic Movement councillor Mongameli Bobani said he was concerned about the pace of submissions as the municipality could only have the money once plans were submitted.
“Have we started to submit our plans yet? Because if not we are late. We have a problem of environmental impact assessments (EIA) having to be approved. What contingency plans are in place?” he asked.
ANC councillor Andile Mfunda said the issue of the R310-million housing allocation reserved for 2008/09 should be taken seriously.
He was also concerned about the number of vacancies in the middle management section of the housing delivery sub-directorate.
Housing and land executive director Seth Maqetuka said the municipality was ready for the application process for about 26 future projects. Although there was still the challenge of EIA approval, the municipality was in consultation with the department of economic development and environmental affairs and had received a commitment from the regional office that the municipality‘s housing delivery application would take priority.
The provincial department had appointed the PT Naidoo consulting company to help the municipality speed up the EIA approvals, he said. “Now we are waiting for the figures to be formally gazetted.”
moladi is based in Port Elizabeth?????