FF Plus caucus leader at the Provincial Legislature, Armand Cloete, said many consumers have been complaining about municipalities that fail to protect their rights against contractors who perform shoddy work. He said this on the side-line of a Portfolio Committee on Infrastructure, Roads, and Human Settlements engagement with Thaba Nchu residents on the proposed Housing Consumer Protection Bill on Tuesday (22/08). 

During this hearing, residents voiced their unhappiness about contractors and unfinished RDP houses with some waiting for over 30 years on the RDP list. Cloete said some municipalities don’t even have bylaws protecting the rights of consumers but he has since explained that the engagements with residents have shed light on how to fix the issues. 

"Basically on paper, the Bill is supposed to protect any person who buys a house or gets a house from a governmental scheme. From hereon we are going to sit in the committee and look at inputs from communities and then draft a report. We need to sign the report which will be given to the Free State Legislature for a mandate to be able to go and vote on it at the National Council of Provinces." 

On Tuesday, the committee concluded its last engagement with residents on the Housing Consumer Protection Bill. The committee has all five regions to hear concerns regarding housing issues. 

Some of the residents raised concerns with the government housing scheme called the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which is aimed at addressing the immense socioeconomic problems. Some told the committee, led by its chairperson, Malitaba Moleleki, that some of their RDP houses were never completed by contractors. 

The Bill seeks to provide for the protection of housing consumers and to provide for the continuance of the National Home Builders Registration Council as the National Home Building Regulatory Council. It also seeks to provide for the enrollment of homes to be covered by the home warranty fund. This Bill will further provide for the funds of the council and the management of those funds and provide for procurement and contractual matters about the building of a home. 

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