The Department of Human Settlements in the North West, says mushrooming of informal settlements in the mining towns, poses a huge challenge for government. The Department says a big chunk of its budget goes to the mining town of Rustenburg and the entire Bojanala district, which also includes the towns of Brits and Swartruggens.
MEC for the department, Gordon Kegakilwe, has called on the mines to assist in providing services to some of the informal settlements, since some of them were formed by mine workers who chose not to stay in the hostels.
“People, because of what mines are offering to them, they opt for these stay out fees that they get from the mine. They create what they call shanties or informal settlements, just next to the mines, so that they can get the benefit that the mine is paying and they can then use that benefit for their own. So that creates a problem. That’s why informal settlements are mushrooming around the mining areas.”
Chief economist at the Minerals Council South Africa, Henk Langenhven, says housing provision outside of the mines is a responsibility of government.
“Unfortunately what often happens is that they create shacks and the local authorities cannot react fast enough to put in the services and then you have a housing problem. Although there is some provision for people to house themselves, what is quite clear is that the mining companies cannot take over the role of the local authorities. Housing in South Africa is a prerogative of provincial and local government.”
