KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements
Sustainable Human Settlements
The Department of Human Settlements’ primary goal is to promote the achievement of a non-racial, integrated society, through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing. Taking into account South Africa’s history of skewed development and deliberate neglect, there is urgency in creating or fostering the creation of sustainable human settlements. However, a large number of other challenges are faced in the housing sector, which, need to be addressed. The challenges identified include, overcrowding, insecurity of tenure, instability of structure, lack of access to services, threats to basic health and safety, and other deprived slum conditions, particularly in our urban and peri-urban areas.
Priorities
In order to address these challenges, the Department’s priorities are as follows:
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To eradicate all slums;
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To strengthen governance and service delivery;
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To ensure job creation by housing programmes;
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To accelerate development of houses in rural areas;
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To upgrade public sector hostels;
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To ensure completion of all blocked projects by the end of 2009;
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To create rental housing opportunities;
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To facilitate capacity building;
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To promote home ownership; and
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To provide housing for vulnerable groups including those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Eradication of Slums
In order to implement a programme for the eradication of slums in KwaZulu-Natal, the KwaZulu-Natal Eradication and Prevention of the Re-Emergence of Slums Act has been passed. The Committee of the Minister of Human Settlements and all Provincial MECs responsible for Housing (the MINMEC) has adopted a resolution in terms of which the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements will assist nationally in the comprehensive application of the prescripts of the Slums Act. A practical step in this initiative will be assistance to municipalities in the preparation of a comprehensive slums audit in order to create a base from which to manage the problem.
Capacitation of Municipalities
A second priority area is the capacitation and accreditation of municipalities. The dedicated capacity building and planning programmes have invested valuable time and resources in this priority area. The Department now has access to housing sector plans of acceptable quality, which will enable the housing delivery process to be aligned with other sector plans in the municipalities. This is very important given the reality that housing provides the human nucleus around which basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation are provided.
Medium Density Housing
Medium density housing is one of the Department’s key performance areas towards 2010 and beyond. Historically many people were denied access to residential property in our cities and surrounding urban areas due to apartheid legislation. In addition, the shortcomings in rural towns where township establishment and town proclamation processes were inadequate are being addressed. Currently backlog figures are high as young and middle- aged people are moving into cities and towns in search of employment opportunities.
The provision of adequate rental accommodation is also a priority. Social housing remains a vehicle through which the Department provides rental housing in partnership with social housing institutions. The rationalization of hostels as part of rental housing stock is part of the solution to address these needs.
Financial Partnerships
Partnerships with ABSA and First National Bank have been established in order to speed up the housing delivery programme. The Department is confident that it will establish partnerships with other financial institutions with the aim of ensuring that diversified financial choices available. Current goals are to:
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Strengthen our partnership with our stakeholders with a view to ensure accelerated housing service delivery.
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To create a platform to partner with stakeholders in building houses and profile youth sector and enterprises.
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To create awareness on the housing. programmes.
Youth Build
The government has initiated various programmes which are aimed at creating an enabling environment for our youth to explore various business opportunities.The Youth Build programme is a very important programme as it instills the culture of serving the people among our youth. Fifty youth volunteers signed up to help the Department of Human Settlements build houses for the elderly in June 2009. The 76 units, which will be built under the Youth Build Progress projects, will offer the youths the opportunity to give back to their community and do something positive to improve the standard of living for the elderly. The project is a result of a partnership between the national and provincial departments of human settlements, uMlalazi local municipality, National Youth Service (NYS), the National and provincial youth commission and National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). Each of these stakeholders will sponsor R30 000 to host a house and send eight volunteers to participate each day over the construction period.
"This project will not only provide the 42 square meter houses for the poor people of Tintown informal settlements in uMlalazi area, but it will also give the youth skills that they can use in the future to start their own construction companies," said MEC, Maggie Govender.
Housing for Vulnerable Groups
This priority area is closest to the Department’s heart. A further aim of the Department is to accelerate housing delivery in rural areas.The majority of households that require rural housing are led by women, children, the aged and the infirm. In particular the programme for the construction of facilities for children orphaned as a result of the scourge of HIV and AIDS continues to be central to the Department’s activities.
The Department invites all stakeholders and role players in KwaZulu-Natal to come forward and support the drive to provide shelter, bearing in mind that a house provides a nucleus around which all other services must converge.
