No more free homes from the government – Lindiwe Sisulu (Human Settlements)
The government will stop providing South Africans with free homes, announced Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu recently.
It will free up land, but beneficiaries will have to build their own structures.
Sisulu, as far back as 2014, said that the free government home model was unsustainable and led to an attitude of entitlement.

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Reaction to the change in the government’s housing provision policy has been mixed.
The housing backlog stands at about 2 million.
In the Western Cape, the backlog is at least 600 000 of which 70% is in the Cape Town metro.
Refilwe Moloto interviewed Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements.
Moloto enquired about how the change in policy will impact on the Province and its housing backlog and land issues.
The 600 000 [provincial housing backlog] excludes individuals who have invaded land over the last three or four months… and who demand services that are meant for those who applied to be on the housing demand database…
Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements
For the last 10 years… the budget allocation versus the ever-growing need never met each other… always on the backfoot.
Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements
What the Minister is referring to is… developable land… Not all land is developable…
Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements
Ultimately, you want to bring the beneficiary closer to working opportunities and transport nodes… We’ve identified four parcels of land [in Cape Town] for rapid release…
Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements
No new contractual commitments may be made [to build homes] …
Tertius Simmers, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Human Settlements
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
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