Address by Hon. Premier TSP Makwetla at the Launch of the
Breaking New Ground Housing Programme,
Thaba
Chweu Municipality
14 November 2008
Programme Director
MEC for Local Government and Housing, MEC Mashego-Dlamini
Members of the Executive Council and MPLs
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Local Government and Housing, Hon. N.J Mahlangu
The Executive Mayor of Thaba Chweu, Cllr. C Ndlovu
Chairperson of SALGA, Cllr S.K Mashilo,
Mayors and Councillors,
Chairperson of the Mpumalanga Housing Finance Company (MHFCO), Mr T.G Mokoena,
CEO of Mpumalanga Housing Finance Company, Mr G.J Dladla,
Managers in the public service,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a pleasing development for me to be part of the launch of the ‘Breaking New Ground’ housing programme in the Province. The occasion of the launch of this ‘groundbreaking’ initiative in the Province speaks to the broad social transformation imperatives of building a better society anchored on the values of equality, human dignity, inclusivity, and equitable access to development and economic opportunities.
It speaks to our collective obligation to work tirelessly to advance the realization of socio-economic rights for the citizens of the Province in a way that promotes empowerment, unity, equality, and social inclusion. As one of the fundamental human rights, access to shelter is a source of dignity and sense of self-worth for many of our poor citizens in the Province.
Owning a house is an important measure of positive change
towards realizing a better life. Therefore, our commitment to
accelerate the delivery of housing to communities in
Programme Director, our democratic society emerged from a social environment characterised by fragmented and racially-based human settlements and economic systems which were supported by the apartheid system. The legacy of spatial settlement patterns continues to define the landscape of human settlements and uneven access economic opportunities, social infrastructure and basic services.
In this context, the national social transformation challenge is not only about the provision of shelter, but also about the need to pursue the achievement of a non-racial, integrated society through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing.
Clearly, the ‘Breaking New Ground’ programme that we are launching today in the Province is a groundbreaking initiative to reverse the apartheid spatial settlement legacy, which continues to perpetuate duality in the quality of basic infrastructure provisioning and the general quality of life in our society. It is about social transformation to address asset-poverty and bring about the de-racialization of community settlements.
Alongside this, our housing programme envisions the development of socially inclusive settlements which are well designed and environmentally efficient. In doing this, we seek to reverse the inherited distortions of the apartheid space economy by ensuring that planned human settlements provide holistic development that incorporates quality infrastructure that supports the creation of economic opportunities, wealth creation, poverty alleviation as well as the delivery of public amenities such as schools, clinics, and recreational facilities.
Essentially, the Breaking New Ground programme will provide opportunities for us to overcome spatial, social and economic exclusion by enhancing mobility and accessibility through efficient transport networks and ensuring that settlements are well located in relation to areas of economic activity.
It is critical that mixed-income residential settlements become
an instrument to promote social interaction and cohesion across
racial and class lines. In
line with our ‘greening agenda’ in
As part of our accelerated housing delivery programme, the provincial Department of Housing has tasked the Mpumalanga Housing and Finance Company to establish integrated and sustainable settlements throughout the Province. As a Province, we are committed to addressing backlogs in the delivery of houses. In part, the BNG programme will contribute towards the eradication of the housing backlogs in the Province.
Over a period of 5 years, the Mpumalanga Housing Finance Company (MHFCO) will deliver 70,000 units. MHFCO has identified a number of projects in various municipalities where integrated human settlements will be established. Over 10 years, 13 190 units will be built by the MHFCO to benefit families in various parts of the Province.
Programme Director, in the State of the Province Address in February this year, we committed to commencing the construction of 500 units in Thaba Chweu as part of our roll-out of the Breaking New Ground programme. I am happy that we are here today to launch the provincial roll-out of BNG programme, with work already underway for the construction 5 048 housing units in Thaba Chweu.
The first phase of the work to integrate the former Lydenburg
town with
Programme Director, the BNG programme requires municipalities to be visionary and proactive in spatial development planning so that development does not happen in a haphazard and uncoordinated way. To deliver integrated and sustainable human settlements, long-term planning is critical to enable municipalities to plan ahead for the provision of social and economic infrastructure in areas targeted for human settlements. Therefore, it is crucial that municipalities continuously assess human settlement needs, and identify well located land for housing. The quality and credibility of housing needs in every municipality is important to inform long-term planning for housing delivery in the Province.
In conclusion, I want to point out that the success of Breaking New Ground programme depends on effective intergovernmental cooperation and public/private partnerships to ensure that all relevant stakeholders play their part in shaping the new society that we envision.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier,