File photo Picture: Nhlanhla Phillips
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements concluded its three-day public participation programme yesterday on the Housing Consumer Protection Bill in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, with small and medium business owners bemoaning the lack of opportunities despite having to register annually with the National Home Builder Registration Council (NHBRC).
The Bill seeks to ensure protection of housing consumers and effective regulation of the home building industry through, among others, strengthening protection measures, regulatory and enforcement mechanisms as well as prescribing appropriate sanctions or penalties against defaulting persons.
According to the entrepreneurs in attendance, the lack of business opportunities and financially viable contracts stifled transformation and denied them opportunity to participate in the industry.
The business owners expressed hope that the training pillar in the Bill would reverse this.
They also called for the Bill to regulate the contracting of small businesses within the area.
The invisibility of building inspectors and (NHBRC) in general was a contributing factor to the non-compliance with building standards.
As a remedy, participants called for funding for the training of building inspectors to capacitate them for the critical role they must play within the value chain.
There was also a call for the NHBRC to increase its information sessions to empower the people, especially those in rural areas, with information on compliance.
A call was also made for the Bill to force municipalities to provide engineers and town planners to assist consumers in the rural areas to build quality houses.
Concern was expressed that the Bill was silent on people who build on tribal authority land, and did not have title deeds but had permission to occupy.
With the majority of residents of the province residing on tribal authority land, a proposal was made for a clear clause addressing the issue.
The committee received complaints from a number of individuals during the public hearings regarding the poor quality of the RDP houses provided by the government.
They blamed the use of inferior quality building materials which made their homes easily susceptible to damage.
Participants called on the committee to ensure that the implementation of the Bill to be retrospective in respect of the defective houses that were delivered to before its promulgation.
Despite the concerns raised by participants in Mbombela, the Bill received overwhelming support from participants who were hopeful that it would be a tool for the delivery of better quality homes, especially to the historically disadvantaged people.
Chairperson of the committee Machwene Semenya thanked those in attendance for their valuable inputs.
“We commit to take up the concerns you have raised here with your MEC for human settlements and COGTA to ensure that your issues are resolved. We will also take into consideration the inputs on the Bill you have made here when we finalise the Bill,” said Semenya,