MEC says housing delivery is top priority

HUMAN Settlements and Public Works MEC Ravi Pillay was overjoyed after his department scooped eight awards and the coveted overall Best Performing Province category in the national Govan Mbeki Awards ceremony at Sandton Convention Centre recently. The win could not have come at a more opportune time as it happened on the eve of the MEC’s R3.6 billion budget speech for the 2014/15 fiscal year in the provincial legislature.

Among the categories that the KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements Department won included, Best Priority Project (Cornubia Integrated Residential Development Project) and the best Enhanced People’s Housing Process (Vulindlela Housing Project). The two projects are currently the province’s largest housing projects worth more than R25 billion with an expected 75 000 more units in the forthcoming years.

The MEC said that these awards are a powerful vote of confidence in their ability to get the job of housing delivery done. “We are very excited. I want to congratulate my staff and all the municipalities who have worked hard to get these results,” said Mr Pillay. He added that the Human Settlements Department’s track record in the delivery of affordable homes was a powerful one.

“I plan to announce a target of over 32 000 houses for the year ahead. This will be in 51 municipalities across our province. KwaZulu-Natal is a serious player in the national housing delivery market and we consistently meet our targets and spend our full budget,” added Mr Pillay.

The Govan Mbeki awards, led by the National Department of Human Settlements, recognises excellence and best practices in the provision of decent human settlements by various municipalities and contractors across KwaZulu-Natal. The award is named after the late struggle stalwart Govan Mbeki, based on the role he played in human settlements, partnering with key figures to further the cause of building a nation free of inequality.