By More Matshediso
Pretoria - The 100 days target of creating 1.5 million housing opportunities is set to build houses for the poor and open the housing market for those who cannot access home loans.
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said this, on Tuesday, when she briefed members of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements about plans to achieve the 100 days target she announced during her Budget Vote Speech.
“What we are presenting to you today is the framework in which we will build the foundation towards achieving our objectives on not only building houses for the poor but open the housing market for those who are unable to access home loans and also do not qualify for free government houses,” said the Minister.
She also announced that her department had signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to create a credible waiting and beneficiary list database.
“The creation of this reputable waiting list will assist us in ensuring that we remove from the list those who do not qualify or have received a house previously by linking this to the population register,” she said.
Minister Sisulu said her department has been in meetings with the Chamber of Mines, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Banking Association and South African Women in Construction (SAWIC) and other stakeholders to speed up the 100 days target.
She said the stakeholder meetings will eventually culminate into a National Human Settlements Indaba scheduled for September 2014.
“I have interacted with a number of our stakeholders. Between 25 and 26 September we will all assemble under one roof at the National Human Settlements Indaba to deliberate on our challenges and possible solutions while committing ourselves towards the delivery of 1.5 million housing opportunities,” said the Minister.
The Minister believed that at the end of the National Human Settlements Indaba all affected parties will emerge with a new Social Contract, which seeks to forge partnership between Government and private sector. - SAnews.gov.za
