Pretoria - All provincial governments will in this financial year prioritise the provision of houses for military veterans, says Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
The Minister said this when she was addressing more than 200 military veterans from different formations, including uMkhonto Wesizwe Military Veterans Association (MKVA) in the City of Cape Town Council Chambers on Monday.
During the event, which was part of her monthly stakeholder outreach programme, Minister Sisulu announced a massive roll out of housing projects to clear the housing backlog for military veterans by April 2016.
The Minister highlighted that housing delivery for military veterans was one of government’s priorities.
She stressed that more than 5000 registered and verified military veterans in the Department of Military Veterans’ database must have houses by end of 2015/2016 financial year.
"Military veterans played a central role in pushing the apartheid government to start negotiating with the ANC. We owe our freedom to you, it is my mission to ensure that in this financial year all military veterans have houses, decent houses fit for the sacrifices you have made for us as a nation.
"Some of you still have energy from the camps; we must convert that energy into construction skills for you to work with us in building your own houses. I want you to become construction developers of the future and get involved in all mega projects,” the Minister told veterans.
The National Department of Human Settlements will report back in 14 days on how the military veterans’ housing backlog will be eradicated by 2016 with military veterans participating actively in the building process. – SAnews.gov.za
