According to the Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, there are plans to address housing challenges in the different provinces although there is still a large backlog. In a written parliamentary reply to the Inkatha Freedom Party, Sisulu indicated that over 200 000 households were upgraded in informal settlements during 2020. She says this number is, however, exclusive of the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces as they did not spend their allocated informal settlements upgrading programme grants. She indicates that the North West had the highest number of informal settlements planned to be upgraded. According to Sisulu’s report, the majority of those in the North West were in the areas of Ventersdorp, Kanana and Bloemhof, amongst others.

Her report comes just weeks after OFM News reported on how oppositions in the Provincial Legislature demanded answers from the Cooperative Governance MEC Mmoloki Cwaile about housing backlogs in the province.

Cwaile confirmed there are more than 620 villages in the province and over 300 informal settlements.

He said there are plans to address housing issues in the province and have set aside R320 million specifically for the upgrading of informal settlements.

Sisulu in her report indicates that the North West is amongst the provinces urgently needing to address the mushrooming of informal settlements.

OFM News