Minister Kubayi vows HDA will take over responsibility to service Khayelitsha informal settlements
12 May 2023
The Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi has announced plans to give the Housing Development Agency (HDA) the sole responsibility to provide basic services to the communities of informal settlements in Cape Town. This follows the Minister’s disappointment with the lack of progress in the provision of services such as water and sanitation in 16 informal settlements in Khayelitsha.
These and other concerns raised were yet to be resolved, despite several meetings being convened since she took over the portfolio.
In 2022, Minister Kubayi had a meeting with leaders and representatives of these informal settlements but commitment for improved living conditions made by the City since then and other successive meetings by all spheres of government, have not yet been fulfilled.
Significantly, in March 2023, the Minister transferred R111 million to the City of Cape Town to speed up service delivery interventions. The funds were specifically ring- fenced to provide the services for the 16 informal settlements and to address the PRASA railway line relocations, after the City said it had no funds. The City has, however, since indicated it would be difficult to spend the funds provided by the Department of Human Settlements, citing it was almost the end of the financial year.