Over 41k apply for RDP houses in Gauteng amid completion backlogs

The backlog in incomplete projects has raised questions about the efficiency of the province’s housing delivery system.

Since the beginning of the year, the National Housing Needs Register has recorded 41,502 RDP applications.

The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has identified 45 projects that are currently stalled across the province's five corridors. 

Each project is at various stages of development.

Gift Langa, spokesperson for the Gauteng Human Settlements MEC, said the department has identified several factors hindering project completion. 

These include inefficient contractor performance, legacy issues from community builder programmes, and challenges stemming from incubator programmes.

“Our plans for the 2024/2025 financial year include the completion of abandoned and blocked projects with work underway to deal with bottlenecks for all projects that are blocked and not allocated owing to bulk and municipal issues such as township proclamation, which Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the province is also assisting with,” Langa said.

Langa told Jacaranda FM News that the department will address poor contractor performance through enhanced monitoring, strict contractual obligations, capacity building and legal measures.

“The department also conducts regular audits and on-site inspections and enforces penalties for delays or non-compliance. Contracts may be terminated, and persistent poor performers blacklisted,” Langa added.

The department has introduced new offerings, such as the Rapid Land Release Programme, which offers housing needs applicants the opportunity to build for themselves, and other products, such as 1st Home Finance, a subsidy that applicants can use to buy or build for themselves.

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