Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane was addressing the State of Nation Address (SONA) debate on Tuesday. In her speech, Simelane lambasted among others the Democratic Alliance (DA) for not supporting transformation.
Image: Hunk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
"Yes, I had a coffee shop because, at the time, [President Cyril] Ramaphosa had no financial scheme. I will now apply for it and ngiphinde (reinstate the business)," stated Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, responding to a controversial remark made during a National Assembly debate regarding the VBS loan she received to purchase the coffee shop.
This came after EFF MP Vuyani Pambo interrupted Simelane saying "deputy speaker, this person speaks like she is in a coffee shop."
Simelane was addressing the State of Nation Address (SONA) debate on Tuesday. In her speech, Simelane lambasted the Democratic Alliance (DA), among others, for not supporting transformation.
The Government of National Unity (GNU), which the DA is part of, aims to champion economic development and growth. This also includes ensuring that the government provides services to its people.
Simelane has been accused of corruption and looting funds from the VBS Mutual Bank when she was the mayor of Polokwane in Limpopo.
She took a R575,600 loan in 2016 from the VBS Mutual Bank to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Simelane also testified before the ANC's integrity committee in a bid to get to the bottom of the allegations.
Ramaphosa said he needed more time to properly process the information submitted by Simelane.
Simelane's remarks came just after the DA's Sonja Boshoff addressed the audience, stating that race-based legislation primarily benefits the elite and should be replaced with merit-based policies.
She also told her to take US President Donald Trump's offer to relocate to his country for refuge.
Responding to this, she said transformation will go despite the criticism.
She took the house into confidence that her department had planned to alleviate the lives of South Africans.
Simelane said housing was their priority and they were responding to the crisis.
According to Simelane, her department plans to disburse about 140,000 market subsidies through the First Home Finance (FHF) programme.
This is to offer middle-income households access to housing near economic centres.
“The qualifying beneficiaries of this programme are citizens whose household income is from R3,501 up to R22,000 per month.
“This intervention seeks to ensure the availability of affordable housing options across various income levels, thereby averting further spatial segregation,” she said.
She also spoke about how her department managed to secure student accommodation for students who embarked on a protest in Cape Town about the lack of accommodation.
“We are aware of the student accommodation crisis besetting the Western Cape, thus, the NHFC has funded two (2) 100% black-owned developers in the student accommodation market.
“The first project is in Belhar, and it has received a funding facility of R40 million rand to construct 136 beds and the second project in Parrow for a building that started out as an affordable housing development programme which received an R170 million facility but has since been converted into a student accommodation with 927 beds,” she said.
Simelane also promised that they would issue around 80,000 title deeds in the next five years.
IOL Politics
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