DA welcomes new housing register

Sir
The DA in KZN welcomes the long overdue publication of a National Housing Needs Register (NHNR) aimed at ridding the province’s housing allocation process of endemic corruption and political interference.
We sincerely hope that this register, which also offers the public an opportunity to comment, will at last bring some stability and credibility to the allocations process.
The DA has been fighting for housing waiting lists for many years. The establishment of this register is also our victory.
For far too long, the ANC through its councillors has used housing as a political tool, causing massive division within communities.
Yesterday, the DA in KZN made its own submission to this register with the following comments;
– The DA welcomes the National Housing Needs Register
– The DA calls for all allocations to be revealed during the initial phase of the project in order to bolster confidence in the NHNR and reassure community members of a transparent process
In our submission, we also expressed concern over the MEC’s power to approve final allocations. Of particular concern is the fact that he has access to individual’s names on the list. This should never be the case. Doing so is contrary to the principle that political influence be removed within the allocations process.
That the ANC has placed the NHNR for public comment on the eve of a local government election has not gone unnoticed by the DA.
We sincerely hope that this is not some kind of pre-election stunt which will leave communities bitterly disappointed in the months to come.
The DA in KZN is committed to fighting for the housing allocation process to be fast-tracked here in KZN. Too many people have been waiting for too long.
With a home comes dignity. Every person in our province deserves to have this.
Hlanganani Gumbi, MPL