country aims to clear slums by 2014
14 February 2008

At the Social cluster briefing in Cape Town, the minister said the Department of Housing's focus in the coming financial year will be its programme of slum eradication.

The department would also be implementing the lessons learnt from the Breaking New Ground Strategy to expedite housing delivery for poor and middle-income groups. The Department of Housing will also support the provincial legislative processes to prevent the mushrooming and re-emergence of informal settlements and slums around the country.  Government aims to increase its current delivery rate of 300 000 to 500 000 housing units.

To this end the Department of Housing has strengthened its capacity to directly assist provinces to enhance provincial project management capacity and streamline planning process for effective and fast delivery. In addition, the department will continue to focus on increasing the number of affordable housing for those who earn between R3 500 and R7500 through the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the nation's major banks.

The department is also finalising processes to ensure access to housing for Veterans of the struggle against apartheid within the overall comprehensive social security programme of Government. Work with Social Contract partners to remove all the obstacles and blockages that inhibit the speedy delivery of human settlements will continue.

"We are hoping that the NCOP will shortly debate and pass into legislation the Social Housing Act (SHA). With the implementation of the SHA, we will be subsidising the creation of various forms of rental accommodation and thus contribute to our goal of the elimination of slums by 2014. "Non-governmental organizations and the private sector will be encouraged to participate in the programme and access the grants that will become available through this act.

"We are hoping that this will go a long way to alleviate the shortage of rental accommodation and encourage innovation in the rental market."  Added to that, the cluster briefing announced that every new home in the country will become energy efficient.  In addition to the prescripts in the National Housing Code and the Cabinet statement on this matter, the department of housing is finalising energy regulations that will become part of the national building regulations.

The National Homebuilders Registration Council (NHBRC) will continue to adhere the minimum standards set by government and will have the authority to stop any contractor who does confirm.

As part of its programme to access well-located land, the department has finalised its negotiations with Transnet and Department of Public Works to acquire a significant portion of land for human settlements.  The moratorium on the sale of land by municipalities will ensure an additional supply of parcels of well located land. This land will be transferred to the Housing Development Agency.

In terms of the department's Parliamentary programme, this year will see the introduction of the Housing Development Agency Bill (HDA).

The Agency will enable government to finally redress apartheid spatial planning. The key instrument of the agency will be the release of well-located land and serviced sites for human settlement programmes.  Once the bill is signed, Thubelisha Homes and Servcon will be integrated into the HDA.  "We are expecting the HDA to serve as a catalyst for social cohesion, racial integration, job creation, and economic growth."

Vivian Warby,  http://allafrica.com