delivery
1 March 2009
The Housing Development Agency (HDA) will work with municipalities, private
sector developers and provinces to fast track housing delivery, said the
Director General of Housing, Itumeleng Kotsoane. The DG added that the agency
will coordinate the availability of land, support municipalities and provinces
in project development and implementation in line with the breaking new ground
housing policy principles.
"Working with all stakeholders in the housing sector the agency will ensure
that we only build integrated communities, it will co-ordinate the building of
different types of housing tenure, from rental, bonded housing and government
subsidised housing in integrated developments close to areas of economic
activities.
We are confident that the agency would be able to assist us reach our
targets to double our current delivery rate of over 250 000 and assist us to
deliver over 500 000 units every year in order to eradicate informal
settlements by 2014," he said.
The Director General added that since 1994 the government has built 2,7
million houses providing shelter to over 13 million people and by March 2009 at
the end of the financial year 2,8 million houses would have been built
providing shelter to more than 13,5 million people.
"Over the past 14 years the government has spent over R100 billion in
providing serviced land and a top structure, this is the biggest economic
investment in the residential construction sector and more than 2,7 million
families have houses and land they call their own. Of the 2,7 million houses,
over 1,2 million were built from 2004 after the launch of the Breaking New
Ground (BNG) policy. Our fast tracked delivery since 2004 has shown that
working with our different partners we can deliver at unprecedented scale, and
the launch of the Housing Development Agency will take us to greater heights
never seen before in South Africa." He said.
He added that the Housing Development Agency will also partner with private
sector developers, financial institutions, owners of both land and buildings to
implement urban renewal projects and integrated human settlements.
"The HDA will work with all agencies of government, the private sector and
other stakeholders to facilitate not only the availability of land, but also
mega developments like Curnobia, Lephalale and massive urban renewal programme
in urban areas like Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town", he said.
The Director General added that the Comprehensive Plan for Development of
Integrated Human Settlements in 2004, which is commonly known as Breaking New
Ground is accelerating the delivery of housing and integrated sustainable human
settlements, utilising housing delivery as a catalyst for major job creation
and economic growth, ensuring residential property is accessible to all and
also alleviate asset poverty and create wealth, promoting social cohesion and
all housing projects must seek to achieve this objectives.
The Housing Development Agency would be launched by the Minister of Housing,
Lindiwe Sisulu on Monday, 2 March 2009, at the ICC, Durban from 18h00 to
20h00.
Members of the media can contact:
Mr Teboho Montse
Cell: 082 886 6721
or
Bongani Mlangeni
Cell: 082 885 3378
Issued by: Department of Housing
1 March 2009
