Limpopo: 320 000 houses built and counting
Reaching the target of 80 000 homes by 2019 is a challenge Makoma Makhurupetje relishes
Limpopo is a province under construction, literally. And this is about to escalate even further. Where in years past there was nothing but stretches of untouched land and zinc shacks, brick and mortar structures are changing the landscape of the once sleepy province.
The province’s growing mining industry has seen an influx of people searching for better economic opportunities moving into this vastly rural province. As a result, the provincial government now finds itself with the daunting task of providing adequate housing to its rapidly rising population.
But Makoma Makhurupetje, MEC for co-operative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (CoGHSTA), reckons her department is up to the challenge. Recently, she told the Limpopo Provincial Legislature during the tabling of the department’s budget vote that they are gearing up to achieve their target of “creating 80000 housing opportunities by 2019”.
Makhurupetje said this is the part of the province’s contribution to the national department of human settlements Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) commitment to deliver 1.5-million houses.
Besides delivering houses, the MTSF aims to create better spatial planning and better resource allocation, ensuring that poor households have adequate housing in better living environments, and supporting the development of a functional and equitable residential property market.
Makhurupetje revealed that since the dawn of democracy in "QSJM
UIF QSPWJODJBM HPWFSOment has built and handed over
IPVTFT 5IJT TIF TBJE has benefited about 1.8-million people.
To deliver 80 000 housing opportunities by 2019, Makhurupetje said CoGHSTA IBT TFU B UBSHFU PG CVJMEJOH IPNFT JO UIF GJOBODJBM ZFBS 5IJT TIF TBJE XJMM CFOF½U BO FTUJNBUFE DJUJ[FOT XIP have been living without a “digni½FE SPPG³ PWFS UIFJS IFBET
CoGHSTA has been allocated an annual budget of R2.58-billion for UIF ½OBODJBM ZFBS XIJDI JT TFU UP JODSFBTF UP 3 CJMMJPO JO BOE 3 CJMMJPO JO
"U MFBTU 3 CJMMJPO PG UIF CVEHFU XJMM HP towards human settlements.
²*OUFHSBUFE TVTUBJOBCMF IVNBO settlements is the core business of the department,” said Makhurupetje. “Hence, a bigger allocation to human settlements development.”
She further explained that the budget allocation for Human Settlements is informed by the National Human Settlements 4USBUFHZ GPS UIF ZFBST ° as well as the MTSF.
“The department [CoGHSTA] will take to a higher gear the policy of Breaking New Ground EVSJOH UIF DPNJOH ½OBODJBM ZFBS Measures to be taken include consolidating the incremental IPVTJOH EFMJWFSZ HBJOT PG
BOE 8F XJMM BMTP JODSFBTF both the volumes of delivery, as well as the quality of delivery across multiple programs,” Makhurupetje said.
She said they will also ensure that “housing delivery spreads across growth towns and special FDPOPNJD [POFT 4&;T BT QBSU PG our endeavor to meet our target of 80 000 housing opportunities delivery by 2019.”
Makhurupetje said this is important because the projects are conceptually big, “featuring from 1 000 units up to 10 000 units within a development precinct, characterised by various housing UZQPMPHJFT #/(T 3%1T #SFBLJOH /FX (SPVOE 3FDPOTUSVDUJPO BOE %FWFMPQNFOU 1SPHSBNNF (BQ '-*41 'JOBODF -JOLFE *OEJWJEVBM Subsidy Programme, in the “Gap” market, ie those earning between 3 BOE 3 QFS NPOUI and social rental and community residential units.”
She said this will be supported by commercial developments such as community-based shopping centres, places of worship, playing and social amenities, BT XFMM BT DJUZ UPXO JOUFHSBUFE roads and transport systems to ensure efficient mobility of people. “These projects will span over B QFSJPE PG GPVS UP ½WF ZFBST GSPN planning to project maturity.”
The building of houses has also IFMQFE DSFBUF B UPUBM PG KPC opportunities in the province durJOH UIF GJOBODJBM ZFBS “This is a significant improvement in performance by our contractors,” said Makhurupetje.
4IF TBJE JO BEEJUJPO UP UIF jobs created, the department has appointed 100 Extended Public Works Project jobless youth who have been assigned to the construction project managers UISPVHIPVU UIF ½WF EJTUSJDUT PG UIF province. “This will ensure skills transfer and on-the-job training, and will go a long in alleviating poverty and unemployment,” she said.
Last year, CoGHSTA outlined a turnaround strategy aimed at dealing with some of the challenges plaguing the department, which included issues of low levels of delivery and accountability in certain municipalities.
The turnaround strategy was anchored on four pillars which included beneficiary management, geotechnical reports and foundation designs, partnership with the contractor’s preferred material supplier and contract management.
Makhurupetje said these have begun to bear fruit, saying that the turnaround time in geotechnical reports and foundation designs has improved remarkably. She said so far, 12 000 development sites have already been submitted by municipalities as part of forward planning mechanisms on geotechnical studies.
“We are ready to construct on more than 12 000 stands, as they have geotechnical reports with foundation designs available,” she said.
Makhurupetje said they had developed a database panel consisting of 80 contractors for the next three years. She said CoGHSTA is exploring possibilities of introducing the biometrics system in a bid to curb corruption.
The MEC said an amount of R11million has been set aside to build an additional 150 houses for military veterans during the current ½OBODJBM ZFBS 5IJT GPMMPXT PO UIF appointment of three contractors who were mandated to build 200 units for the military veterans in UIF ½OBODJBM ZFBS
“The project has moved very slowly, but we will be handing some of the complete units to UIF CFOF½DJBSJFT JO UIF OFYU UXP months,” said Makhurupetje.
²*O IPOPVS PG PVS NJMJUBSZ WFUerans, some of whom paid the price of freedom through arm and limb, we continue to implement the Military Veterans Housing 1SPKFDU UP TQFDJ½DBMMZ FOTVSF UIBU they too get the houses, so that they enjoy the spoils of freedom they fought for.”