the Housing Indaba 24 October 2006
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the District Council
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
The Housing Indaba comes at a time when we need to strengthen the capacity
of municipalities to deliver houses. At the beginning of 2003/04 financial year
we embarked on a massive drive to improve the expenditure patterns in housing
delivery, the R1,1 billion turnaround strategy. This strategy challenged the
department and municipalities to re-look and redesign their housing development
processes with a view to streamlining them to fast track delivery and
therefore, expenditure.
Central to the strategy was the focus on small, medium and micro-enterprises
(SMMEs) utilisation and empowerment. We are aware of the challenges and seek to
find solutions to those challenges that negatively affect the rapid delivery of
houses in various municipalities. As a government we are responsive to the
rights of housing and of tenancy. There are two sections in our Constitution
that specifically deal with housing. The first is section 26, which addresses
the right of access to adequate housing, and the second is section 28, which
deals with the rights of children to shelter. Over and above the general issue
of housing, the worrying issue of pavement communities (street children and
their parents) must be tackled by all of us in a united fashion. We cannot wish
it away.
The Indaba will discuss the accreditation of municipalities to build houses
as well as an integrated planning for sustainable human settlements,
co-operative governance, building the capacity of all spheres of government for
rapid housing delivery and reporting requirements.
We need to also revisit our town planning so that we identify rapid human
growth points so that facilities such as schools, roads and shopping complexes
can be planned at an early stage. If we do so we will be able to increase our
delivery capacity by 12% and make Operation Masakhe a reality. We must develop
skills such as project management; meteorologists who will be able to forecast
the rainy season or days so that we ca warn our people in time about the
impending floods. With that skill we can also fast track our massive housing
strategies during the dry season so that the housing structures would remain
firm on the ground for some time before the next rainy season. Low cost housing
remains the best option for low income groups. However, we need to up the
skills of our builders, ensure the credibility of the building contractors so
that we avoid a situation where no sooner we finish building the house, than it
falls.
I hope one of the spin offs of the Housing Indaba would be participation of
major stakeholders involved in housing development which would enable
effective, efficient and holistic housing delivery in the province. The Indaba
must come out with renewed strategies for implementation that will ensure
sustainable human settlements and address various issues that the province has
been grappling with in the past so that we look to the future with hope and
pride.
I thank you.
Issued by: Eastern Cape Provincial Government
24 October 2006
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za)
