For 13 years, the Komga Zone 10 housing project has been plagued by delays, broken promises, and escalating costs, leaving the community frustrated and without the homes they were promised. The residents of Komga have been forced to endure uncertainty and hardship while costs balloon and progress remains stagnant.

The impact on those waiting for houses has been devastating. Families who were promised homes over a decade ago remain in limbo, denied the security and stability that adequate housing provides.

The 1140 toilets, constructed at a cost of R12 million and erected on sites without accompanying houses, stand testament to this failed project. Promised completion dates have come and gone, with the most recent deadline of August 2023 also unmet.

The 2024/25 Annual Performance Plan further underscores the dire situation. Phase 1 of the Komga Zone 10 housing project, which began on 23 July 2019, aimed to complete 560 housing units by 20 August 2023. However, only 60 houses have been constructed, and the project’s costs have skyrocketed from an estimated R7.9 million to R39.2 million this year alone.

A further R350,000 was budgeted for Phase 2, scheduled to start on 14 February 2022 and conclude by 20 August last year. However, the department has only spent R10 488, and no additional houses have been built.

I have written to Human Settlements MEC, Siphokazi Lusithi, to ask that she provide an immediate and detailed report on the Komga Zone 10 housing project.

Answers are urgently needed regarding the costs, the reasons for construction delays, and a realistic completion date.

The community of Komga deserves transparency and accountability on the progress of this project, including a thorough report on beneficiary verification after 13 years of waiting.

Unqualified audit opinions should lead to improved performance within the Department of Human Settlements. However, the ongoing regression seen in housing outputs, title deed delays, and the lack of consequence management is unacceptable.

The rising demand for low-cost housing in the Eastern Cape only exacerbates the impact of these delays, denying Komga residents the security of tenure they desperately need.