As South Africans prepare to commemorate Freedom Day, serious questions must be asked about the continued failure of the military veterans’ housing programme in the Eastern Cape.
Freedom Day is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by military veterans and freedom fighters who helped secure South Africa’s democracy. It is, therefore, deeply troubling that many of these same individuals are still being denied access to dignified housing decades later.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape has formally written to MEC for Human Settlements, Siphokazi Lusithi, requesting an urgent and detailed intervention plan, with clear timelines, to address the continued failures of this programme.
This follows shocking revelations in written replies showing that, over the past five financial years, only 78 houses have been handed over to qualifying military veterans in the province.
That pace of delivery reflects systemic inefficiency and a glaring lack of urgency from both the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Military Veterans.
During a Human Settlements portfolio committee meeting in the legislature this week, Head of Department, Edmond Venn, committed that all 267 qualifying military veterans would receive their houses by the end of September this year. While this undertaking is noted, it stands in stark contrast to the department’s dismal delivery record.
To meet that target, the department would need to deliver nearly 190 houses within the next five months. Nothing in its performance over the past five years suggests that it is currently capable of achieving delivery at that pace without urgent intervention and close oversight.
I have written to MEC Lusithi to submit a comprehensive intervention plan setting out clear time-bound milestones, monthly construction and handover targets, and title deed registration and transfer targets for qualifying military veterans. The plan must show exactly how the department intends to close the current delivery gap and complete the programme within the timeframe it has now publicly committed to.
Download letter here.
The failure to provide adequate housing to military veterans is not merely an administrative lapse. It is a betrayal of men and women who served this country with honour and distinction, and who should not have to spend years waiting for the dignity and security they were promised.
Military veterans deserve recognition that is more than ceremonial. They deserve decent housing, clear delivery, and a government that honours its obligations in practice, not only in speeches.
The people of the Eastern Cape deserve a government that keeps its promises, delivers with urgency, and treats those who served this country with the dignity and respect they have earned.