With the strong focus on infrastructure spend in this year's budget, housing received little more than a passing mention. That is not surprising, considering the same issues, hurdles and headlines continue to afflict this department.
But it did get extra money. Manuel added more than R6bn to housing and related infrastructure programmes, which include the housing grant and the municipal infrastructure grant.
Over the next three years, spending will increase substantially, from R9bn to R15,3bn, an average increase of 19%/year. This is because of increases in transfers to provinces under the integrated housing & human settlement grant - it's a programme that promotes the economic, social and spatial integration of communities.
Also included in the grant to provinces are amounts for national pilot projects such as the N2 Gateway project in Cape Town. National funding on the project increases from R300m in the coming financial year to a hefty R500m in 2010.
The elimination of shacks remains a priority and an additional R2,2bn has been allocated to upgrade informal settlements. This includes funding for community participation as well as the installation of emergency basic services, town planning and the provision of permanent municipal engineering services.
Because provincial and municipal capacity constraints are a barrier to service delivery, the department of housing has also budgeted to provide provinces and municipalities with support. The Housing Development Agency Bill will be introduced in parliament early this year. The agency, once it is established, will act as a facilitator, and developer - even to the point of acquiring land - where provinces or municipalities do not have enough capacity to deliver houses.
By 2010 the budget for "goods and services" will increase to R44,8m and will include provision for contractors, consultants and special services that will be retained by this agency.
Much work has been done at the policy level. A framework for a new "inclusionary" housing policy has been completed. Inclusionary housing requires that a portion of all new housing developments accommodate low- and middle-income housing. Also, a new minimum standard for subsidy houses has been established: 40 m² with two bedrooms, dining room, lounge and bathroom with separate toilet and shower.
Preliminary work done by the Gauteng provincial housing department into alternative building technologies for low-income housing has caught the eye of the national department. At Nomzamo, an informal settlement in Soweto, a "polycon" brick is being used in the construction of houses. Made from a polystyrene aggregate, it's cheaper and, because it's lighter, houses are built faster.
And in Kaalfontein informal settlement, prefabricated concrete panels are being used as walls. This means a house can be built in two days.
