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The Democratic Alliance extends its deepest sympathies to residents displaced by the fire that destroyed more than 100 homes in Masiphumelele during the early hours of Saturday morning.

For too long, informal settlement residents across our country have lived with the fear of having their homes destroyed by floods and fire.

Given the drastic budget cuts administered by our failed National Government, local authorities are no longer in the financial position to provide rebuilding materials to families who lose their homes to fire. There is also a limit to how many homes Government can build each year.

This, whilst rapid urbanisation and rising joblessness drive more and more people into poverty and informality.

The situation is simply not sustainable.

There is, however, a solution to this complex crisis: rapid land release and incentivised formal densification. This requires two simple actions:

Viable, state-owned land that can be used for Human Settlements must be released for rezoning and infrastructure development with urgency. This must be coupled with pre-approved zoning and building plans that qualifying citizens can contract with government to develop for housing.

Incentives such as relaxed planning by-laws must be offered for private home owners to densify existing homes for second and third dwellings for the entry level rental market in well situated urban areas

We as leaders have a responsibility to fix the housing crisis. This can only be achieved through the implementation of a new, bold and evidence-based approach.

To this end, the DA will soon table its re-imagined Housing Policy for adoption by internal structures and implementation where we govern.

This policy will go a long way in resolving the current crisis.

We will communicate more on this bold plan in weeks to come.

Issued by Shadow Minister for Human Settlements, Emma Powell