Programme Director,
NHBRC Change Manager, Mrs Chavalala,
NHBRC Provincial Manager,Mr Ramalla,
CoGHSTA Management,
All officials of CoGHSTA and NHBRC present here,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Good day
As we enter the epoch-making close of the second decade of our democracy, it is clear that we need to change the gear. Comprehensive Development Plan for integrated sustainable human settlement trajectory dictate to us to work together in a more concerted effort to improve service delivery and to transform the economic landscape.
We have to tell the story on a journey travelled so far. United Nations has declared October to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with a goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
Accordingly, our country recognizes the vital role of the social partners in creating an enabling environment for implementing infrastructure plans and mobilizing human resources.19 years into our democracy, there are still huge challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality ,yet weak capacity, poor coordination and weak integration limit development impact of infrastructure.
Therefore infrastructure is critical to help integrate human settlements and economic development. The 18 Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) adopted by the Cabinet cover catalytic projects that can fast-track development and growth. Work is being aligned with key cross-cutting areas: human settlement planning and skills development.
For instance Urban Development in Lephalale, the first major post-apartheid new urban will be a development project. The fundamental question is whether as a sector we have requisite skills to respond to these major developments? If no, is this capacity intervention session responds to this.
Cognisance should also be taken that as a built environment, we normally get negative coverage in terms of the products we are delivering e.g. poor workmanship by contractors under your supervision as project managers. My expressed conviction is that this workshop seeks to capacitate our inspectors to adhere to the stipulated standards for our settlements so that dwellings are habitable and safe.
This training provide all of us as stakeholders and role players in the built industry an opportunity to take a look at the strides we have made in ensuring that we utilize housing delivery as a foundation for our country`s ongoing transformation project.
The electorates have overwhelmingly given the African National Congress (ANC) led government a mandate to deliver on the people`s contract on creating jobs and meet the basic needs of the people. In 1955, the Freedom Charter was adopted and one of the most important pledges made in this historic document is that "There shall be houses, security and comfort".
When the Charter was crafted it was at the height of apartheid and all the oppressive laws were firmly in place and already the ANC had a vision of the people of South Africa, more especially those that were under the joke of subjugation and oppression.
It made clear that people must be decently housed so that they can bring up their families in comfort and security. It never said that as and when they bring up their families they must stop and fix houses and structures that should have been built properly and conformed to statutory constructions standards.
The charter emphasizes security and comfort and for that we need competent inspectors to ensure that there is structural integrity in all our projects. Our people deserve better services. We should get it right the first time as trying to get it right the second time comes with undesirable results such as bad publicity and damaged reputations leading to loss of trust and confidence.
We also lose a lot of resources in the process as it sometimes means spending twice on a job that should have been properly supervised and passed by inspectors. We must remember that housing is the third burning issue in the country after jobs and crime. That then tells us that we cannot be negligent or turn a blind eye where there is evidence of poor workmanship in our products.
Inspectors should not condone shoddy workmanship or else there will be consequences. We cannot afford to continue with Rectification programmes while we have inspectors on the ground. This is a clear indication that our project management capacity is limited and this workshop must enhance the capacity for optimization of good performance in the sector.
We hear of houses that are completed with windows and doors that cannot be properly closed. These are things that should be picked up early not when a house has passed that level of construction. We surely need competent inspectors to monitor every step and milestones of construction and also inspect the quality of projects in the province.
It cannot be the way to go if we are serious about restoring the dignity of our people if we take them for granted in this manner. They deserve better and that’s what we promised as government: decent housing and a better life for all.
The National Homebuilders Regulatory Council carries a critical responsibility in respect of safeguarding proper procedures in the construction industry countrywide. Our relationship with the council has been very cordial and they have been providing a supportive role as well as capacity building role like it will be happening today and tomorrow.
We also appreciate NHBRC`s technical input and support in the technical committees of the department. It is appreciated because this training is in addition to legislated role of the NHBRC which is quality assurance of the construction of houses; enrolling housing projects and safeguard the interests of homeowners by taking appropriate action against contractors who produce work of poor quality and which does not comply with the prescribed specifications and standards.
On our part, we have to take the severest of actions against those who engage in shoddy workmanship or fail to adhere to norms and standards. I urge you to redouble your efforts by taking your work seriously as inspectors of the department because failure to do so will make us to come hard on those responsible for passing work that has been poorly inspected and supervised. We cannot be known for houses that are poorly constructed, some left without foundations and the like.
It is unacceptable and there will be consequences for performances of poor quality that put the department in a bad light insinuating waste of government scarce resources. This workshop must also assist us in developing effective ways in accessing difficult terrains in our province. What are the effective mechanisms to employ in terms of dealing with blockages?
These cadres of professionals must assist us in conceiving an incubator program in the province and how does the sector assist us in reducing unemployment through learnerships. NHBRC must advise on how best we can tap on the skills of the 100 youth trained in Modimole.
I am stressing this because housing delivery occurs through a chain comprising prospective home dwellers, contractors, municipal authorities, provincial government and national government. This chain is important and cannot be broken. We must fix the system as we cannot play the weakest link games. It will not help the recipient of a defective product when we engage in finger pointing and blame shifting.
Overseeing the quality of houses being delivered will create the necessary pressure in the delivery chain to enable us to deliver on our marching orders to deliver human settlements. There should be a clear message to all who seek to feed off government at the expense of the poor your time is up and there is no place for you to hide.
We exist as government with a clear purpose of creating an enabling environment for development of sustainable human settlements to improve the quality of life for all in Limpopo. The purpose for which we exist is in line with outcome eight which entails the provision of sustainable human settlements and improving the quality of households life.
Let us take the lives of our people seriously by making all the projects embarked upon compliant to the stipulated building standards. We will not hesitate to hold all parties to account for their responsibilities and where dereliction of duty has occurred action will be taken.
This training signifies a mutual understanding and a common commitment to ensuring quality products for beneficiaries of low-income subsidized housing. I want to thank the department and the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) for this commitment in securing this common ground, which will ultimately be beneficial for our province and her people.
It should also take us into the direction of building a caring society as we continue to provide shelter to our people. Furthermore, it should motivate all stakeholders in the industry to harness human and other resources in accelerating housing delivery to improve the lives of millions of people especially the poor of our country and our province.
The challenge to all of us is to roll our sleeves and work with the necessary speed to do even more in ensuring that we transform our province through housing.
Your work should speak volumes, quality volumes. It should be the kind of work that restore dignity and changes the lives of the people of Limpopo. When a house is completed and handed over, it must bring an everlasting smile and joy to orphans, aged, disabled, unemployed and the poorest of the poor who are the target group.
Perhaps we need to conduct an impact of these workshops as whether they are making the required intervention or is it just an annual event of experts to exchange ideas and experiences?
In conclusion, this occasion calls upon all of us as the servants of our people to redouble our efforts in a quest to deliver services to our people. This is a struggle, as we have repeatedly said, that it is not for Government alone.
We must internalise and live by this call that until all our people are housed adequately, until corruption is vanquished from the housing sector, until sustainable human settlements become the norm rather than the exception, until partnership flourishes between Government and the private sector including financial institutions, real estate associations, property developers associations - our struggle continues.
We have a duty to bring a better life to all of our people. I wish you well in your deliberations in this workshop.
I thank you!
