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The Eastern Cape human settlements department has failed to provide houses for 70,000 approved beneficiaries in the housing subsidy system.
This was revealed by human settlements MEC Nonkqubela Pieters at the launch of Operation Siyakhathala at a business breakfast at the East London Golf Club on Friday.
In September the national housing needs register showed that the total need of the province was for 60,3398 units.
Nonkqubela said the R1,6bn available in the 2019-20 budget would not be able to address these challenges alone.
She said a collaborative approach was needed and she urged businesses to get on board in building houses for the province’s destitute.
“We are calling upon business people to come and work with us because we are not able to deliver on our own.
“The challenge we face is that there are more than 70,000 approved beneficiaries in the housing subsidy system and this number reflects only those who are registered. By implication it means that given the constrained budget due to the economy of our country, it will take time to address all those challenges.”
Businesses were invited to pledge skills and resources to fast-track service delivery.
“It is not about money, but we want them to come and assist us build houses for the destitute. We won’t be able to meet the demand with the limited budget we have.”
