UN Habitat Programme Manager: Mrs Pinky Vilakazi,
Habitat for Humanity SA Director: Mr Brian Hilliard,
Executive Chairman of Power Group: Dr Graham Power,
Volunteers from the Community,
Invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Programme director, please allow me to be upfront and declare that today is not a day for long speeches, but a day for doing. Today marks a renowned World Habitat Day which is celebrated annually every first Monday of October to highlight the need for adequate shelter that billions around the world still struggle with.
This year’s theme is “Urban Mobility” which seeks to highlight the challenges experienced on city roads and highways all over the world. The prescribed solution to transport problems in most cities has thus been to build more infrastructures for cars, with a limited number
of cities improving public transport systems in a sustainable manner.
South Africa is one of the countries the UN looks at as a growing progressive country as we as a government strive to facilitate the creation of sustainable Human Settlements and improved quality of household life for our people.
Urban planning and design like we see here at Pelican Park today focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, and optimal urban densities, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure.
However, ladies and gentlemen please allow me to rather focus on the provision of adequate housing for all those in need. Housing is one of the challenges that needs all of us. Government alone cannot solve this challenge. The fact that today we are all here representing different entities from both public and the private sector is an achievement for us as a department and as the South African Government.
In order for us to make a significant dent to the increasing housing backlog of our country, we need strong partnerships with the private sector. When we say “Working Together We Can Do More” we mean exactly what is demonstrated here today. We should work together towards the realization of the 2030 NDP plan, which one of its aims is to upgrade all informal settlements on suitable well located land by 2030.
Let us applaud the courage and enthuse shown by Habitat for Humanity in rallying important players, like Power Group, behind the challenging housing matters of our country. We are proud of you.
As part of our key objectives and focus as Human Settlements we are determined to continue delivering to South Africans by prioritizing and fast tracking the implementation of the following:
- Acceleration of housing delivery, as we are doing here today;
- The speeding up of sanitation rollout programme before the end of the current term of government;
- Mitigating on underperformance issues by reallocation of unspent funds by provinces to other performing projects;
- To intensify the handing over of title deeds, and
- The handing over of government houses built before 1994.
Programme director, we have a good story to tell as South Africa and Pelican Park is part of the stories that will be told as we look forward to celebrating the 20 years of our democracy. As Human Settlements we are committed and passionate about working together with our people to build better sustainable communities in South Africa.
Halala Pelican Park Halala!
I thank you!
