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The current housing policy of the Department of Local Government and Housing is clearly unsustainable as more than 1.4 million people across the province are on the Demand Database.

The Acting Head of the Department of Local Government and Housing at a workshop today revealed that the majority, 546 000 of the 1 415 408 people on the Gauteng Demand Database, are in Johannesburg, followed by Ekurhuleni with 390 000.

At the current funding rate of the department it would take 35 - 40 years to clear the backlog of state funded houses. The demand has already gone beyond the total number of houses, at 850 000, that the Department has already produced.

It was further pointed out that the Database still needs to be cleaned up, as it contains those who are deceased or whose economic circumstances have changed.

We must find creative solutions and forge meaningful partnerships to ensure that the housing needs of the province are addressed swiftly.

The DA in Gauteng eagerly anticipates the new draft housing policy currently being worked on by the Department. The DA will engage with the draft policy with the intention of contributing to a sustainable and effective strategy for dealing with providing adequate housing for the people of Gauteng.