Members of the public have another two weeks to comment on the proposed changes to the City of Cape Town’s Allocation Policy: Housing Opportunities (2015). The proposed changes aim to enhance fairness and transparency. The comment period, which opened on 11 November 2019, closes on 10 December 2019 but could be extended if required.

The proposed changes relate to the selection of qualifying beneficiaries and the allocation of various types of State-subsidised housing opportunities, including Breaking New Ground (BNG), Council rental housing and the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP).

Some of the proposed changes include:

Anti-social behaviour taken into consideration when applying for Council rental housing

Income bracket increase from R10 000 to R15 000 per month when applying for newly developed Council rental housing

Process for vacant serviced sites to BNG ‘non-qualifiers’ included as per National Human Settlements Policy

Allocation process for UISP (Phase 3 and 4) included

Expedited decision-making processes in certain instances

Members of the public are encouraged to look through the proposed changes and to be part of the review process.

‘As a City, we are mindful of the acute need for housing opportunities across the metro. We therefore have to ensure that we look at the dynamic housing market and see to it that our policies reflect the conditions on the ground and the needs that have been identified by City officials and interested and affected parties.

‘For instance, we are proposing that the income bracket is increased from R10 000 to R15 000 per month when applying for rental housing as a response to the reality that there is a great need for affordable housing in Cape Town and to align this to the national affordable rental housing programme. We have also proposed that anti-social behaviour, such as gangsterism and drug pushing among others are taken into account when someone applies for a transfer of tenancy within Council rental housing. This is in an effort to make our Council housing developments safer.

‘We are making every effort to provide housing opportunities and services within a planned and fair manner wherever possible within the constraints, such as available suitable land, budget and existing community dynamics.

‘Given this context, it is important that when State-subsidised housing opportunities are available, our policies ensure that qualifying beneficiaries, who are registered on the City’s Housing Database, benefits fairly and are empowered with housing opportunities.

‘The proposed changes to this policy aim to enhance fairness and create greater transparency, as well as draft clear policy provisions and expedite decision-making time where possible when selecting and allocating State-subsidised housing opportunities to qualifying beneficiaries who are registered on the Database,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

Source: City Of Cape Town