More awards for housing department
Human Settlements and Public Works MEC Ravigasen Pillay said the top honours in so many categories had taken him by surprise.
For the fifth consecutive year, the KZN Department of Human Settlements has come out tops at the national Govan Mbeki Awards.
The prestigious awards ceremony was held at the East London International Convention Centre last Friday.
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The department walked away with seven awards, just falling short in the coveted Overall Best Performing Province and Best Metropolitan categories.
It has won the Best Performing Province of the Year category since 2014.
The department received other awards, including Best Rental Housing Tribunal, and Best Community Residential Unit.
A very excited Human Settlements and Public Works MEC Ravigasen Pillay said the top honours in so many categories had taken him by surprise as the competing provinces had, he said, really upped the ante this year.
“Having won the Best Performing Province of The Year category four years in a row must have jolted other provinces into enhancing their performance but I am quite happy with the numerous category awards we took home. It was a total surprise and I did not expect so many of them given the fierce competition.”
According to the MEC, the department’s awards were ‘a powerful vote of confidence’ in KZN’s ability to get the job of housing delivery done.
“Numbers do count, and despite the limited financial resources we have, we are still able to deliver on our mandate as per Outcome 8. We are very excited. I want to congratulate our staff and all the municipalities who have worked hard to achieve these results.”
The MEC added that the Human Settlements Department’s track record in the delivery of affordable homes was a powerful one.
According to the department’s provincial spokesman, Mbulelo Baloyi, the Govan Mbeki Awards recognise excellence and best practices in the provision of decent human settlements by various municipalities and contractors across KwaZulu-Natal.
The awards were named after the late struggle stalwart Govan Mbeki in 2006, based on the role he played in human settlements, partnering with key partners in order to further the cause of building a nation free of inequality.
“In addition to showcasing and demonstrating the excellent work done by the department, the awards also motivate and honour all stakeholders and role players in the human settlement value chain,” Mr Baloyi said.
These include developers, building contractors, the banking sector, community-based organisations, building material suppliers and professional associations of consulting engineers and quantity surveyors.
And in another coup, Ray Nkonyeni Municipality is commended on being one of two municipalities which received awards for the best-accredited municipality in level 1 and 2.
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