H Yawa: Marikana Emergency Housing Project

27 March 2009

Programme director, Rre Donny Matshego
Man of the most high God, Pastor Humphrey Gopolang Sera
Honourable Executive Mayor of Rustenburg, Councillor Matthew Wolmarans
Honourable Speaker of the Council of Rustenburg Local Municipality, Councillor
Dipuo Seduke
Honourable MMC for Technical Services in Bojanala Platinum District
Municipality, Councillor Thapelo Morukhu
Honourable MMC for Planning and Human Settlement, Councillor Amos
Mataboge
The Veteran and Chief Whip of the Majority Party in Rustenburg Local
Municipality, Councillor Rre Bogopane
Honourable councillors
Members of the ward committee
Government officials
Representatives of Lonmin Rescue, South African Council of Churches, the
Zinniaville Muslim Community
The Chairperson of Toro ya Africa Consultants (Pty) Limited, Mr Solly
Letsatsi
The Project Co-ordinator Ms Mimi Mathibe
Members of the professional team
Sub-contractors
Ladies and gentlemen

Programme director, the American Poet Brynn Bettin in his poem titled
Disaster captures succinctly what happens during a disaster. By extension,
Bettin gives a somewhat colourful definition of what happened on the afternoon
of Tuesday 4 November 2008 in Marikana when he says:
Disaster:
People running
Women screaming
Children yelling

Disaster:
People feeding
Women saving
Children crying

Relief:
People building
Women cooking
Children playing
Restoration

Betting expresses three elements of a disaster in his poem. According to
him, when a disaster occurs, there is pandemonium, destruction and people’s
lives are disrupted. The 54 people who were admitted to Job Tabane Hospital on
that fateful Tuesday afternoon after a storm left a trail of devastation in its
trail have experienced pandemonium and disruption to their lives.

The second element is where relief is brought to the victims. Our people in
Marikana have experienced what we mean when we say that working together we can
do more. This community has experienced the efforts of a responsive,
compassionate and caring African National Congress (ANC) government supported
by the partnership of Lonmin, the South African Council of Churches and the
Zinniaville Muslim Community.

The Rustenburg Local Municipality Disaster Management Centre supported by
the district and the provincial disaster management centres was able to
organise sector departments such as the Departments of Health, Social
Development, South African Social Security Agency, South African Police
Service, Lonmin Rescue and faith-based organisations to bring relief to those
affected by disaster. I wish on to express appreciation to all stakeholders who
participated in the relief efforts and ensured that the traumatised, injured
and displaced received medical attention and temporary accommodation.

The third element is the restoration element, where we rebuild lives and
ensure that the lives of people are restored to normality. Our people in
Marikana and have experienced our commitment to accelerate the pace of
delivery.
This element also demanded that facts were correct and that teams were able to
quantify the extent of the damage, and the resources needed to address that
damage. Co-ordination characterised by synergistic partnerships among
stakeholders and based on universally accepted protocols, mitigated the impact
of the disaster.

Though some of you endured harsh weather condition outside the comfort of
your homes during the reconstruction of your houses, you trusted and believed
in the ANC government’s to deliver on its business unusual, all hands on deck
to speed up change pledge. Your participation in the reconstruction programme
in the spirit of Vuk'uzenzele accelerated the pace of delivery. Despite works
stoppage during the December builders break, festive season and heavy rainfall
that we have experienced in the past months, my department through the
appointed developer, Toro ya Africa Consultants (Pty) and the professional team
managed to renew the pledge that was made 54 years ago when the Freedom Charter
was adopted at Kliptown that, “There shall be houses, security and
comfort.”

R22,7 million was spend towards reconstruction of the 650 houses that were
damaged by the storm. The project provided 364 job opportunities for locals and
empowerment opportunity for 23 emerging local contractors, the majority of whom
were women contractors. This empowerment adds increases further the R506
million that we have allocated for empowerment of women contractors in this
financial year.

This project is the second emergency to be completed in the past three
months following on the Greater Taung Emergency project that cost us R84
million. The massive project involved construction of 2 000 houses that were
scattered across 40 villages.

The delivery of 3,1 million subsidised houses, 2,7 million free houses for
the poor within a period of 15 years is unsurpassed achievement in the history
of human development as it has given shelter to an additional 14 million
people.
We are the first to concede that much more still remains to be done and that
Working together, we can do more to tackle the infrastructure, housing and
service delivery backlogs that the democratic government inherited when we took
over government in 1994.

The ANC government’s delivery track record has demonstrated an
unquestionable commitment to accelerate housing delivery. Our new housing
delivery plan called Breaking New Ground seeks to create vibrant human
settlements that improve the quality of the lives of our people. As you
reoccupy your houses, remember that they are homes for your children and an
investment. I wish to encourage you to look after them with pride and improve
them to your heart desire. Feel free to plant trees and even create vegetable
patches so that you are able to feed your families.

However, I must hasten to warn you that we will confiscate houses that
beneficiaries are renting out while they erect and stay in shacks elsewhere as
this undermines government’s programme to eliminate informal settlements by
2014. I hope that the completion of the project brings relief and comfort to
all of you. We have appointed a programme management unit to finalise the
registration of the properties into the names of beneficiaries so that you
should in due course be issued with title deeds. I hope you will insist that
the municipality invites me the day the title deeds are handed over for me to
be part of your celebrations.

In conclusion, I wish to remind you to exercise your right to elect a
government of your choice on 22 April 2009. We should all mobilise our
families, friends, relatives and neighbours to vote for a government that is
committed to fight against crime and corruption in order to establish a service
delivery culture, vote for a government that will prioritise education and
health, a government that will be committed to create decent work and
sustainable livelihoods, a government committed to rural development, food
security and land reform.

Ke a leboga!!!
Baie Dankie!!!

Issued by: Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing, North
West Provincial Government
27 March 2009