Mme Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, on the occasion of the Housing Indaba, Bolivia
Lodge, Polokwane
20 November 2007
Program Director,
Premier of the Limpopo Province, Honourable Sello Moloto,
Members of the executive council,
The Mayor of Polokwane, Councillor Thabo Makunyane
Executive Mayors and Mayors,
Representatives from the DBSA,
Representatives from business,
Representatives from housing institutions,
Representatives from the mining industry,
Representatives from Eskom,
Representatives from the IDT,
Members of the media,
Distinguished guests,
Comrades and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen
Just two years ago, in 2005, we celebrated 50 years of the freedom charter,
which stated, amongst other things, that, in a democratic South Africa, "there
shall be houses, security and comfort."
The architects of that fine document visualised a new, prosperous country in
which government plays a leading role in the provision of basic services such
as houses, thereby helping to bring about a secure and comfortable life for the
people.
As leaders in government, business and various civil society organisations
gathered here this morning, we have a key role to play in implementing the
vision contained in the Freedom Charter.
We are gathered here in Polokwane today and tomorrow to explore more
creative ways of speeding up the delivery of houses to the needy, with
particular focus on accelerating the delivery of integrated and sustainable
human settlements.
It is common knowledge that the housing model we inherited from the previous
regime was premised on racism and tribalism, with the black majority population
located far from economic activities. The apartheid government's intention was
to divide and rule. Ours is to unite, build and integrate and, as delegates to
this indaba, we have a duty to come up with resolutions that will help us
reverse the apartheid legacy of segregation based on racism, tribalism and
class divisions.
Programme Director,
One thing is certain: with more and more land being occupied by suburbia and
industries in our rapidly growing province, we are already faced with a
shortage of land for purposes of developing integrated and sustainable human
settlements. This challenge is common particularly in and around urban areas
and emerging economic focal points.
In order for us to be able to deliver on our mandate of integrated and
sustainable human settlement we need to ensure that the housing industry is
ready and geared for delivery. The sector is competing with other sectors like
roads and transport, energy and telecommunication, for materials, contractors
and equipment. So we need to ensure that brick manufacturers are ready for the
demand, by expanding their production capacity. Similarly we need to deal with
the challenge around cements supply, especially with regard to uncertainty in
price escalations.
Municipalities must have housing chapters in their Integrated Development
Plans (IDPs), clearly serviced land for human settlements, and well managed
beneficiary register and waiting lists.
Our department is taking the lead by improving the contract and project
management capability, housing subsidy information system, payment systems, and
better dissemination of housing information to communities through amongst
others the housing consumer call centre 0800NTSHEBELE/0800 687 432.
The current property market development is leading to vast separation
between the middle and high income groups and the lower income groups in terms
of spatial development as well as price market barriers. Most of the housing
for the poor is developing in the periphery of the townships away from the city
centre, whereas housing for the rich is in the opposite direction.
Through spatial restructuring and better land use planning we should be able
to turn the situation around. We are working closely with municipalities to
identify strategically located land in order to develop integrated and
sustainable settlements.
We are committed to ensuring that we also break the market barriers created,
which have led to many of the emerging middle income earners not having access
to housing in towns. This we will do by partnering with municipalities, banks
and other financial institutions, and private developers.
As we create integrated and sustainable human settlements we are working
with other sector departments to ensure that other social and economic
amenities are also created, like schools, clinics, sporting facilities etc.
Programme Director
As the Minister of Housing, Dr Lindiwe Sisulu, told the National Assembly
during her department's budget vote speech earlier this year: "Several
inclusionary housing initiatives have already been undertaken by private sector
developers in collaboration with financial institutions and government can
already see the positive integrative impact of the inclusionary housing
programme."
We've experienced the same laudable partnerships here in Limpopo. We have
seen the private sector come on board with regard to the delivery of human
settlements next to places of economic activity. We genuinely appreciate the
effort and are looking forward to more cooperation with the private sector.
Together we have a province, a country and a continent to build.
The freedom charter has propagated social cohesion of communities through
integration and living side by side, black and white, rich and poor. We are
also constitutionally obliged to create and maintain equal opportunities for
the people to realize their potential. We won't realize this if we continue
with business as usual, with the poor still located at remote areas far from
economic activities and strategic land reserved for the economically
powerful.
The costs of continuing to isolate the poor are far greater than the costs
of bringing them closer to places of economic activities through integrated and
sustainable human settlements. The Department of Local Government and Housing
in Limpopo is charged with the constitutional and legislative obligation to
provide housing for all in line with the Freedom Charter and various other
policy prescripts.
Program Director,
Government defines human settlements as places where people live, work and
play harmoniously together. In 2004, cabinet adopted and approved the Breaking
New Ground (BNG) policy on integrated sustainable human settlement plan with a
strategic focus on ensuring that the delivery of affordable housing is
delivered in settlements that are both sustainable and habitable.
The primary goal of the BNG policy is the creation of integrated and
sustainable human settlements whereby "new suburbs shall be built where proper
facilities shall be provided for transport, lighting, playing fields, crèches
and social centres". We believe this approach will assist in building a
non-racial integrated society in line with the vision of the freedom
charter.
Our mandate is to resolve the housing backlog that we inherited from the
apartheid regime. We are making progress in addressing the current housing
backlog; and we hope that increment of our budget allocation in proportion to
population growth will assist us in resolving the backlog.
Programme Director,
As I conclude, I would like to stress that together as leaders in various
sectors of our society sectors such as government, mining, agriculture,
traditional authorities, we have a responsibility to help reverse the legacy of
apartheid settlement patterns. By building integrated and sustainable human
settlements, we will simultaneously be fighting poverty and underdevelopment
whilst at the same time strengthening our family system and values.
With those remarks, I would like to call upon the honourable Premier Moloto
to the podium to address us.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Limpopo Provincial
Government
20 November 2007
