Tag Archives: Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA)

Mokgosi committed to bring dignity to communities through housing delivery

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi and North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi /Supplied

By BAKANG MOKOTO

12 November 2025- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi has hailed the multi-million rand housing project at Tshing Township in Ventersdorp as a significant step towards bringing back the people’s dignity. Mokgosi said this bold move by the North West Department of Human Settlements will see 1500 beneficiaries moving into their new houses before the end of the 2026/2027 financial year.

Mokgosi who was accompanied by the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, executive mayor of JB Marks Local Municipality, Gaba Thithiba ka Qhele and Head of Department (HOD, Kgomotso Mahlobo, visited the area on Friday last week as part of Thuntsha Lerole Accelerated Service Delivery Programme to assess progress on the construction of the houses as well as hand over of five completed houses to beneficiaries.

“It is important to deliver houses to communities as this act is not only about ensuring beneficiaries have a roof over their heads, but realising their right to live in safety and dignity in a decent home. We also urge beneficiaries to refrain from selling their houses or renting them out to foreigners who later turn them into spaza shops or unlicensed liquor stores.

“We have noted that there are beneficiaries who have been in the waiting list from as early as the dawn of democracy. As a government, we are pleased that soon those beneficiaries will be moving into their houses, but our challenge is that the very same beneficiaries, after receiving the houses, sell or rent them out and go back to living in the informal settlements,’’ he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Betty Gama (85) lived in a two room shack for seven years with her son, Botha Gama (28). The family has been surviving on old age grants.

According to Gama, their shack burnt down with everything inside forcing them to find solace from neighbours. She is one of the beneficiaries who were prioritised to receive a house as she did not have a proper place to stay.

“I have nothing but praise for the department. The assistance and support I received from the government is impressive. I was carried by my shoulders through a difficult time of my life and my dignity was restored through provision of a wonderful new home,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Petros Shuping (70), who lives with his family of four, spent many years living in a dilapidated shack which made their stay very unpleasant during the rainy season and the cold weather. The Shuping family depends on government grants for survival as they also experience scarcity of jobs or employment in the area.

Meanwhile, Molapisi said: “The Tshing housing project is one of the fastest moving projects in the province and this is all made possible by the dedication and commitment shown by contractors. We would like to applaud the contractors on ensuring the houses are built in excellent standards and handed over to rightful beneficiaries.

“As department, we are ensuring we work hand in hand with our contractors to improve housing delivery. We would like to thank all the contractors working on this project to ensure that our communities are provided with decent houses.”  

taungdailynews@gmail.com

NWPG continues to priorities vulnerable groups across the province

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi handing over a house/Facebook

By REGINALD KANYANE

6 November 2025- North West Provincial Government (NWPG) said it will continue to prioritise vulnerable groups across all the districts. As part of government’s intervention to address housing challenge to the elderlies, the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, accompanied by the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi have recently handed over houses to two elderly persons in Mmamokete village in Zeerust.

During the handover, North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi commended the department for the work it has done in a short period.

“Today is about restoring dignity, pride and hope to our community. When we hand over a house we give a foundation on which future generations can build. We remain committed to providing quality housing because every family deserves a safe place to call home,” he said.

Sharing Mokgosi’s sentiments, Molapisi pointed out that the government has a vision of ensuring that communities live in decent houses. He further stated that the three spheres of government require strengthening coordination to ensure provision of services to the most deserving citizens.

“The primary responsibility of the department is to build houses, but one of our challenges is the issue of blocked projects. We have concluded that we prioritize unblocking incomplete projects. We have allocated 80% of our budget to unblocking blocked projects and 20% to new projects. We cannot build new houses whereas we have incomplete projects.

“There are 36 outstanding houses that need to be completed in Mmamokete and the project is included in the current plan of the department. The department is working timeously to improve the quality of life for households in the province and will always prioritize older persons, women and child -headed families in delivering houses across all province,” added Molapisi.

One of the beneficiaries is Eleanor Mothandi (104), who is survived by four children from the 24 she gave birth to. Mothandi is currently living with her children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

One of her daughters, Mmita Mothandi (50), who is also her caregiver, expressed her gratitude to the department. She said her family has a decent home and their lives will change for the better.

“As the family, we survive on the mother and grandchildren’s monthly social grants. I sometimes do odd jobs to survive as the social grant money is not enough to cater for the whole family,” said Mmita.

The other beneficiary was Christopher Mokwena (72). He lives with his wife, three children and one grandchild. The family has been living in a shack for a long time.

“We also survive on the monthly old age pension, and the child support grant they receive. It’s a great joy to the family to have received such a gift, it’s been long and we are grateful,” he said.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

15 beneficiaries receive RDP houses

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: Some of beneficiaries/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

28 October 2025- The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass handed over a total of 15 houses to some of the beneficiaries of the Calvinia 200 Housing Project in the Hantam Local Municipality in Namakwa District). Vass was accompanied by the executive mayor of the Namakwa District Municipality, councillor Mervin Cloete, mayor of the Hantam Municipality, councillor Koos Alexander and other councillors of the two municipalities.

He further said the Calvinia 200 Housing Project is part of the 1 Billion Rand Housing Project launched in January 2024 by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa and Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, as part of efforts to address the housing backlog of the Northern Cape. Vass added that the houses are completed.

“They will be handed over to beneficiaries in batches from project to project. We are happy that this morning, we are able to hand over keys to 15 families in this municipality. We continue to call all the appointed contractors across the Province, to work with speed to ensure that beneficiaries receive their houses sooner rather than later.

“We are aware of slow progress in some of the projects in the different districts and we have moved swiftly to terminate some of the contractors, who are not performing optimally despite several interventions and assistance by the department,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Saul said the Northern Cape Provincial Government is committed to eradicating the province’s housing backlog by building houses in all the Districts.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

Molapisi convenes MUNIMEC in Rustenburg

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi

By REGINALD KANYANE

19 October 2025- Following pronouncements from his budget speech, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, will convene a human settlements MUNIMEC with municipalities from across the province. Molapisi said MUNIMEC is an intergovernmental relations forum, where he interacts with municipal leaders to foster cooperation and improve service delivery and governance at municipal level.

He further said it is a consultative platform involving the MEC, mayors, municipal managers and other stakeholders within the human settlements value chain. He added that the forum will deliberate on the progress in addressing the housing backlog as well as the status of housing delivery across the province.

“It will also ensure that there is alignment between planning and budget processes in identifying the needs of communities. Among others the forum will monitor and evaluate projects in local municipalities and further advise the department on relevant issues to be attended to.

“The MUNIMEC will further assist in coordinating other important issues in the human settlements sector, and also keep community leaders updated on plans and challenges relating to the department,” said Molapisi.

He said the forum will meet quarterly and assist in coordinating service delivery in local municipalities. Molapisi said the MUNIMEC will be held at Kings Gate Hotel, Rustenburg on Tuesday at 8am.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

Title Deeds Fridays Campaign hits Pampierstad

NEWS Leave a comment

By OBAKENG MAJE

15 October 2025- The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane together with the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli and the Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass, will on Friday, hand over title deeds to the rightful owners in Pampierstad in Northern Cape. The department said this will be a significant step on its ongoing commitment to eliminate the national title deeds’ backlog.

Vass spokesperson, Tebogo Monyo said in August 2025, the Minister and the Provincial MECs responsible for Human Settlements re-launched the Title Deeds Fridays Campaign, a nationwide drive aimed at mobilising all stakeholders to support the title deeds restoration programme. Monyo said the campaign seeks to restore dignity, strengthen tenure security and promote economic empowerment for beneficiaries.

“The executive mayor of Frances Baard District Municipality, Wende Marekwa, the mayor of Phokwane Local Municipality, Willem Harmse and other local mayors within the Frances Baard District, will also be in attendance.  

“We will embark on a door-to-door delivery of title deeds to five senior citizens at ward 1, Sakhile, Pampierstad at 10am. Then we will have a community engagement and title deeds handover at Condo Open Space, Sakhile, Pampierstad at around 10:30am,” he said.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

Municipalities urged to submit AFS on time

NEWS Leave a comment

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

29 August 2025- The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass said he is making a final and urgent call to all 31 municipalities in the province to submit their Annual Financial Statements (AFS) and Annual Performance Reports (APRs) to the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) by 31 August 2025. Vass said municipalities that have completed their reports are encouraged to submit early and not wait for the last minute.

He further said this critical deadline is in line with the national Operation Clean Audits (OCA) plan, and its successful implementation in the Northern Cape is a key priority for the provincial government. Vass added that the submission of these documents is not merely a procedural requirement, but a fundamental cornerstone of good governance, accountability, and financial transparency.

“We are calling on all our municipalities to act with a sense of urgency and responsibility. Submitting the AFS and APRs on time is crucial for the AGSA to conduct their audits in a timely and efficient manner.

“This process is essential for us to assess the financial health and performance of our municipalities and to ensure that public funds are being managed effectively for the benefit of our communities,” he said.

Vass also cautioned that failure to meet this deadline will have serious consequences, including council having to request the speaker to investigate and implement consequences. He said non-compliance will result in the municipality being reported to the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Parliament and delaying the audit process of the AG.

“It will also hinder our collective efforts to achieve clean audits across the province, which is a key objective of the provincial administration and a non-negotiable part of our commitment to the people of the Northern Cape.

“The department’s commitment to supporting municipalities in this process and acknowledged the efforts of those who have already submitted their reports,” said Vass.

He urged those who have not yet submitted to finalise their preparations and submit their documents without delay.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

Over R160m used to improve Informal Settlements in North West thus far

NEWS Leave a comment

  

Picture: Informal Settlements in South Africa/Generic

By BAKANG MOKOTO

15 August 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has expressed concern on various challenges which affect the living conditions of communities in the province. Molapisis said this calls for the government to intervene and implement strategies to remove these challenges.

He further said the department has completed provincial informal settlements upgrading strategy, which is aligned with the National White Paper on Human Settlements. Molapisi added that the informal settlements strategy will enable the upgrade of 219 informal settlements for full upgrading to phase three, which will enable the commencement of informal settlements upgrading projects.

“This upgrading program follows three critical phases, that is land acquisition, formalization of land rights; and phase three which is the installation of essential services (water, sewer, roads and stormwater).

“These phases are linked to the identification of the priority services in informal settlements,” he said.

Molapisi further said in the 2024/2025 financial year, the department had upgraded seven settlements in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati. He added that they have upgraded settlements in Mamusa, Amalia Ext 5, Maquassi Hills, Wolmaranstad Ext 17 and 19, Lebaleng Ext 6, Matlosana Kanana Ext 17 in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District.

“We have also upgraded informal settlements in Rustenburg, Popo Molefe and Mbeki Sun to Phase 3 in Bojanala District and managed to deliver 2504) units through the Informal Settlement Upgrading Partnership Grant.

“For the current financial year, the department has planned to deliver two thousand five hundred (2,257) service sites, at a total budget of R166 567 170 million,” said Molapisi.

He highlighted that the remaining funds will be allocated to land acquisition and formalization in priority areas. Molapisi emphasised that the department is committed in transforming informal settlements into thriving communities and to prioritise housing and to implement a long-term plan for societal changes as this would leave lasting and positive impact in the lives of the communities.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

PICC will continue to clamp down bogus initiation schools

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: Initiates during sacred tradition ceremony

By BAKANG MOKOTO

27 July 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, applauded the Provincial Initiation Committee (PICC) for clamping down on illegal initiation schools in the province, which mushroomed during the winter initiation season. The initiation season concluded last weekend.

Molapisi further said the final group of initiates descended the mountains on 19 July 2025, marking the end of a sacred cultural journey for many young boys across the province. He added that, the PICC led by its Chairperson, Kgosi Godfrey Gasebone, has shut down over 18 illegal initiation schools and rescued over 100 initiates for being exposed to unhygienic conditions and some of the initiates were underage.

“We want to issue a stern warning to the initiation school principals and traditional surgeons that we will unleash all the resources at our disposal to clamp down on bogus initiation schools.

“This winter season saw scores of initiation schools legally approved and monitored across the province by the PICC in collaboration with House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, Health Department as well as South African Police Services,” said Molapisi.

He said his department has reaffirmed its commitment to uphold the application of health standards and enforcing the regulations of initiation school as per the Traditional Circumcision Act – 2001 and Customary Initiation Act of 2021. Molapisi said his department will strengthen its educational and awareness initiatives to ensure communities are well-informed about the legal requirements and cultural protocols of running an initiation school ahead of the summer season initiation in December 2025.

“The safety and dignity of every initiate remains a top priority, and the department calls on communities, parents, and traditional leaders to continue working together to protect this sacred tradition from abuse and criminal exploitation,” he said.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

A 100 years-old woman receives RDP house

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi/Supplied

By AGISANANG SCUFF

22 July 2025- In celebrating the International Nelson Mandela Day, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, led a successful handover of a newly-built house with furniture to Bele Martha Nkatiso (100) from Vrischgewaagt village, Atamelang.

Molapisi further said the handover marked a special tribute to the struggle icon Nelson Mandela and highlights the government’s commitment to improving the lives of its most vulnerable citizens. He added that the fully furnished house is as a result of a successful government and private sector partnership aimed at addressing housing backlogs, as well as strengthening relations between the two sectors to deliver affordable housing and enhance social change.

“The gesture is inspired by the call Tata Mandela made, which is for everyone to take action in addressing the world’s social injustices. Today is a day of giving back and making a difference in the lives of our communities, this is exactly what Nelson Mandela stood for, which is to give back in a way which changes the lives of our people.

“It is for that reason that as the government we saw it fit to bring joy in the face of Nkatiso and her family. We are happy to see that she’s lived up to a 100 years, we are happy to have used this day with the people we’ve collaborated with to give you a house where you can live comfortably, safely and without worry,” said Molapisi.

In receiving keys to the house, Nkatiso gave gratitude to the department and stakeholders for building her family a house, she said this will mark a significant improvement in their living conditions as they have lived in a dilapidated shack divided into two sleeping areas, living space and kitchen.

“I thank the Lord for answering my prayers. I have longed for a proper home, and today, my dream has come true,” she said. 

In addition to the furnished house, Nkatiso also received food parcels, blankets and toiletries courtesy of various stakeholders, who responded to the call and played their part in honour of Nelson Mandela.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

Molapisi hand over two houses to needy families

NEWS Leave a comment

Picture: One of families receive a house from North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi

By BAKANG MOKOTO

14 July 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has fulfilled a promise he made last year by handing over houses to two destitute families in Tlakgameng village, near Ganyesa, as part of build-up to his department’s Budget Vote that will be held later this month. Molapisi said the generous gesture was made possible through a successful partnership between the Department of Human Settlements and one developer contracted by the department to build houses in the area.

He further said the developer is said to be competent in the construction of houses with credible track record for constructing low cost houses for the department. Speaking during the handover, Molapisi added that it is through collaboration between the public and private sectors that they will be able to address the housing backlog and ensure that people have access to safe, affordable, and dignified living spaces.

“Today, we have brought back the dignity of the Setshogela and Montshabatho families. The houses we are handing over to them are a sign that our government continues to care about the plight of its people.

“This act of generosity has not only provided a safe and dignified shelter for the two vulnerable families but has also restored hope and a sense of belonging. It is through such meaningful interventions that lasting social change is achieved,” he said.  

Molapisi said the donation of the houses comes at the right time ahead of the departmental budget vote, which will be held on 23 July 2025, where he will outline plans by the department to achieve the mandate of creating a sustainable human settlement for all the citizens of the North West. He said the department extends its heartfelt appreciation to the philanthropists for their continued unwavering commitment to social responsibility and for making a tangible difference in the lives of those most in need.

“Their contribution is a true example of the power of partnerships between the government, private sector and communities in building a better future for all. 

Meanwhile, the handover was accompanied by other donations such as food parcels from the Department of Social Development, vegetable and seedlings from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and planting of trees in each household by the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism. 

Receiving keys to the newly-built house, Kgomotso Ivy Setshogela, thanked the government and the contractor for gifting her family with the house. She said they now have a proper house structure to sleep in.

“I am grateful to the MEC and the contractor for affording me and my family shelter as I had long lost hope in our situation,” said Setshogela.

Setshogela (47) lives with 12 dependants in an old cracked house, which is on the brink of collapsing. The family survives through child support grants received by some of the children in the household.  

Another house beneficiary was the jubilant, Mmiki Montshabatho (70) who also gave gratitude to the department and all those involved for gifting the family with the new house. Montshabatho said she is overjoyed with the gesture and hoped that this does not only end with them and the same should be extended to others in need as well.

“We are a family of nine and we have been staying in a one-roomed shack. We did not have access to any government benefits such as grants and healthcare as we face challenges with civil documentation,” she said.

taungdilynews@gmail.com