EXAMINATION OF THE

Abstract

Gauteng Province faces tremendous challenges with regard to the delivery of housing in terms of both numbers and performance. The Gauteng housing shortfall is evident in sprawling informal settlements; an overcrowded inner city; and mushrooming backyard shacks in townships and suburbs. There is enormous pressure on the Gauteng Department of Housing (GDOH) to increase the number of houses being delivered if any significant impact is to be made by 2014. The purpose of this research is to examine the GDOH’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit. One of the key objectives is to examine whether the Unit has the necessary capacity, skills and the knowledge to implement its mandate. Another objective is to analyse the extent to which the Unit conforms to established best practice. The main findings of the research are that the GDOH’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit has significant gaps in its systems and practices. There is a notable absence of an integrated framework for M&E and the current data management system in the Unit is not clearly defined and managed. The staff who are in place are largely insufficiently capacitated to carry out M&E. These findings have impacted on the Unit fulfilling its mandate. It is recommended that a conceptual framework be developed which will spell out in detail how the M&E system will operate with regard to data management, planning, reporting and capacity-building and training. This will ensure that the Unit’s monitoring and evaluation is both focused and targeted