The IFP calls on the Gauteng Provincial government, specifically the
Department of Human Settlements and the City of Johannesburg to urgently
provide people with decent housing instead of spending millions of rand
buying owls to eat rats.

"The City of Johannesburg has allocated R2.5 million to fight the scourge of
rodents, which the IFP believes would have been better if it was spent
building houses for shack dwellers. Buying owls to eat rats will not solve
the rat problem - only with proper housing can the rat problem be truly
tackled. This is a total waste of public funds," said IFP spokesperson on
Human Settlements, Mr Petros Sithole, MP.

"The government is moving painfully slow in improving shack dwellers' living
conditions. We further call on the South African Local Government
Association to intervene and advise all municipalities on how to address
this issue as one of their developmental priorities," continued Mr Sithole.

"The right to access adequate housing is enshrined in our Constitution.
Housing provides people with security and healthier environments. The
current crisis in the provision of decent housing to all is robbing
thousands of South Africans of the opportunity to improve their lives. The
MEC responsible must act now to bring the crisis to an end," concluded Mr
Sithole.

Issued by IFP