NEWS
City ’ s housing database growing by 1 000 a month
On average , the City of Cape Town ’ s housing database is growing by more than 1 000 applications a month , an adminheavy challenge that will soon be significantly improved .
Protecting its integrity as well as enhancing the accuracy of the database through technology and innovation is increasingly vital to ensure a fair and systematic way of delivering housing opportunities .
There are about 300 000 applicants registered on the database who have expressed their need for a housing opportunity . As the need is pronounced , the database must be protected and managed properly to ensure that potential beneficiaries stand a fair chance at receiving housing .
Shortly , the City ’ s housing database will be linked to its property database which will enable City data administration staff to immediately see whether an applicant already owns a property within the metro . This would halt the capturing of data for such applications and prevent wasted time and resources on non-qualifying applications . According to the criteria for receiving a Statesubsidised housing opportunity , applicants who have previously owned property do not qualify for an opportunity which involves ownership .
Efforts are also under way , with the support of the City ’ s Information Systems and Technology Department , to eradicate about 6 000 duplicate records .
In November 2014 , the City ’ s digital housing database was launched to help applicants across the metro to update their details and to register on the database in a hassle-free manner . To date , more than 15 000 new applicants have registered using the online housing portal . As of December 2015 , applicants have also been able to check the status of their housing application by sending an SMS with their 13-digit identity number followed by a space and their surname to 44108 .
Speaking to a visiting delegation from the Human Settlements Directorate of the Nelson Mandela Bay ( NMB ) metro at the end of last year , the City ’ s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements , Councillor Benedicta van Minnen , emphasised the importance of having a housing database which is protected , updated and audited to prevent queue-jumping and data-tampering .
Unlike the NMB metro , the City ’ s database is run independently from the national and provincial governments , although the City ’ s beneficiary list corresponds with the applicants who are on the databases of other spheres of government . During the session , advice was given on how to manage an independent database and how to ensure fairness when it comes to the allocation of housing opportunities .
“ Our database has several fire walls in place and various levels of access control . It is important that unauthorised people may not access critical data . In addition , the database is free from potential political interference . Councillors may view the database but may not change any details which have been captured on it . This is one way that we are trying to ensure fairness and transparency .
“ A big challenge is getting registered applicants to update their contact details and correct invalid ID numbers . Currently , we have about 5 000 invalid or blank ID numbers on our system and most of the contact numbers of these beneficiaries are incorrect so we cannot contact them . Remember , if we cannot get hold of a beneficiary when it is their chance to receive a housing opportunity , it is given to the next person on the list ,” says Councillor Van Minnen .
The NMB metro ’ s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements , Councillor Nqaba Bhanga , emphasises that there is room for greater city-to-city partnerships going forward .
“ We [ the NMB metro ] have a big challenge of beneficiary management and housing administration . It can be most painful not knowing if you are on the list or where you are on the list .”
To apply for a place on the City of Cape Town ’ s housing database online , residents should visit : http :// web1 . capetown . gov . za / web1 / HWL2012Online /.
" The NMB metro has a big challenge of beneficiary management and housing administration . It can be most painful not knowing if you are on the list or where you are on the list ."
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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2017
AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING