The civic leaders have cried that the development will impoverish local construction companies. "It is just meant to impoverish our local contractors and empower well established companies who would employ Chinese at the expense of the local people. We just see a problem in this," Councillor Koos Mashaba told a meeting addressed by the director of Lands and Housing, Gaokgakala Rabalone. In his address, Rabalone had said that some councils did not deliver housing projects on time and failed to account for the allocated funds. While the BHC will take over the implementation of the housing programs, councils will continue to do the paperwork and collect arrears from beneficiaries of the Turnkey project.
However, councillor Evelyn Kgodungwe argued that doing the paperwork for the BHC is going to overburden the council which is already overstretched and facing difficulties related to revenue collection. "BHC should assume every aspect of the housing programs," she said. Councillor Tshiamo Ikaneng complained that the move was not preceded by due consultation. He contended that the ministry should have transferred housing projects that had delivery problems.
