By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane defended R33bn housing budget amid fierce criticism and allegations of a lack of accountability.
Simelane delivered her department’s budget under protest from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
“We are determined to disrupt apartheid spatial planning and bring people closer to economic centres. Our focus is on completing blocked housing projects, accelerating title deed issuance and improving coordination across all spheres of government,” Simelane said.
She announced targets aligned with the 2024–2029 Medium-Term Development Plan, including 237,000 Breaking New Ground housing units; 314,000 serviced stands; 140,000 housing subsidies for the “missing middle”; upgrades to 4075 informal settlements; 15,000 new social housing units; the issuance of 80,000 title deeds; and a 95% tenanting and 90% collection rate in state-managed rental stock.
Central to these efforts is the development of a new National Digital Human Settlements Management System, in collaboration with the State Information Technology Agency.
It will enable citizens to apply online for housing, track application progress and streamline project oversight.
The minister also emphasised innovation in construction through the piloting of green innovative building technologies and the alignment of data systems with the District Development Model (DDM).
She noted the department’s responsiveness to recent disasters in the Eastern Cape, where over 100 lives were lost due to flooding.
Temporary Emergency Accommodation has been established, and permanent resettlement plans are underway, added Simelane.
The department’s funding priorities for 2025/26 include a firm stance against illegal land occupations.
DA on Wednesday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to act decisively against corruption in his Cabinet, threatening to oppose the Department of Human Settlements’ budget.
“…We will not support a budget that risks becoming yet another tool for looting instead of delivering dignity to the people of South Africa,” it said.
The party highlighted said it cannot support allocating R33-billion in taxpayer funds to a department led by a Simelane, who is implicated in corruption.
In March, the DA laid criminal charges against Simelane, after allegations emerged that she earned more than R700 000 while working for consulting company Vitrovian to crush protests at Eskom’s Kusile power plant.
Vitrovian’s charges were outrageously inflated, and the utility billed Eskom for work done by employees that did not exist. Simelane’s signature appears on the very first of these inflated invoices.
This allegation follows hot on the heels of reports that implicated Simelane in the VBS looting scandal.
The DA further pointed out that despite receiving a report on her involvement in the VBS scandal, Ramaphosa has refused to release it or take any action.
The DA claimed that under the African National Congress (ANC), the housing crisis has worsened, with millions still living in “unsafe, undignified” conditions.
Member of National Assembly Conrad Poole pointed to chronic failures in project planning, coordination, and accountability, which he said have led to stalled housing delivery and wasted funds.
He said the number of fully subsidised houses to be delivered has dropped by nearly 30%, while the title deed backlog remains unresolved.
“Key entities like NHBRC, NHFC, SHRA, and HDA are in disrepair, with weak enforcement, falling approvals, and poor governance. While aspects like emergency housing funding are welcomed, the DA cannot support a budget overseen by a compromised Minister,” Poole stated.
DA spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development Glynnis Breytenbach revealed that a South African Police Service officer has been assigned to investigate the criminal charges the party brought against Simelane.
In response, Simelane said, yes, you stand in the dock before a judge when you are charged. I’m not amazed that you don’t know this because I’m undergoing trial without charges. You are trying me in the public air, because you think it’s the only way to degrade the work that I’m doing.”
Simelane insisted that the investigation was about accountability.
“I availed myself of accountability. Now the investigation is done, and you reported the case, but you now can’t wait for the investigation to conclude. I fear I am going to disappear after this. I mean really,” she said.
Opposition parties, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), also objected to the budget vote, saying the department was inadequately funded to house millions of South Africans.
ActionSA, meanwhile, said that while the allegations against the minister were worrying, the party was rejecting the budget because of the department’s failures to provide enough housing and a lack of accountability for those involved in wrongdoing at entities linked to the department.
The minister acknowledged that the money is not enough to deal with housing backlog in South Africa.
“Is the money enough even for those which have been formalised to quickly build a house ? No. That is why in our target, as I have already indicated, we are planning over R300,000. Is that enough? Not really.”
The minister also conceded that the backlog is not being reduced adequately.
Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana maintained that “I will debate the budget and resist the temptation to debate or play the woman”.