IN another major boost for transparency, Kouga Municipality will be establishing Housing Coordinating Committees across the region over the next five weeks.
Executive Mayor Horatio Hendricks said the framework for the committees was recently approved by the Kouga Council as part of ongoing efforts to maximise community involvement and minimise corruption in go-vernment housing projects.
“The committees will be established in all wards where there is a need for government-subsidised housing and will be a critical link between communities, Council, the municipality’s Human Settlements section and the provincial and national Departments of Human Settlements,” he said.
“The aim is to build good relationships with communities and to establish a credible system of housing delivery aligned to the Natio-nal Housing Act and Human Settlements Code.”
In terms of the framework the committees will be chaired by the municipality’s Human Settlements manager and will meet at least quarterly to ensure communities are consulted and updated regularly on housing projects which are under way or planned for their areas.
The members will include three community representatives, the Mayoral Committee member responsible for Human Settlements, the ward councillor, a PR councillor and two representatives from the provincial Department of Human Settlements.
Hendricks encouraged all prospective housing beneficiaries to attend the meetings, at which the community representatives will be elected.
The first meeting will be held in Ward 2 at the Pellsrus Hall this evening, May 23.
Three meetings will be held next week. Ward 14 will meet on 27 May at the Tokyo Sexwale Sport Stadium, Wards 12 and 15 will meet on May 28 in a marquee at the Humansdorp Country Club and Ward 1 will meet on May 29 at the Sea Vista hall.
Only one meeting will take place the following week, with Ward 6 scheduled to meet on June 5 in a marquee at the KwaNomzamo Community Hall.
The next week will see Ward 4 meeting on June 11 at the Kruisfontein Civic Centre, followed by a session for Ward 5 on June 12, also at the Kruisfontein Civic Centre.
On June 13 the community of Ward 10 will meet at the Dan Sandi Hall while the meeting for Ward 9 will take place on June 18 at the Vusumzi Landu Hall.
Two meetings have been scheduled for Ward 13. The first meeting will take place on June 19 at the Vusumzi Landu Hall, followed by a meeting at the Weston Community Hall on June 20.
The programme will conclude with two meetings for Ward 7. The first session will take place on June 26 at the Loerie Hall while the second session will take place on June 27 at the Katrina Felix Hall in Thornhill.
All meetings will start at 18:00.
The Mayor said a capacity building workshop for the newly-elected committee members will be presented in July by the national Department of Human Settlements.
