Gauteng Housing tables its budgetGauteng MEC for Housing Ms Nomvula Mokonyane tables the Budget for the 2006/07 financial year today. The budget will help the department to deliver on its mandate through different programmes. MEC Mokonyane said the Department is happy with the allocated budget of The MEC said the department's plan this year is to speed up delivery by focusing on those projects and programmes that will give us high and visible impact in the shortest period. This will also include speeding up the process of formulating a policy on inclusionary housing to cater for the lower middle-income market which has not been benefiting from both government and private sector financial schemes. Through this policy the department seeks to promote the racial and class integrated settlements in the province. “In terms of this policy the commercially driven developments will be required to allocate a certain percentage value of the total price range of the project for affordable housing for the lower middle-income group,” emphasized Mokonyane. For this financial year in addressing the issue of the rental accommodation, the department has launched a Backyard Upgrade Programme. This programme will see the replacement of backyard shacks with proper structures. The intention is to regularize the erection of backyard accommodation for rental and normalize the landlord-tenant relationship. The project is currently piloted at Orlando East Soweto and Boipatong in the Vaal with a total of 720 units with 2 bedrooms each. The MEC said as part of Affordable Rental Accommodation, hostels in the province will undergo serious transformation with a view to convert them into family units. This will offer the tenants with tenure options of rental or ownership. In this financial year eight hostels will be targeted for demolition and or reconstruction in areas such as Diepkloof, Mohlakeng, Helen Joseph and M2 Nobuhle (Alexandra), kagiso, Madala, MBA and Sausville. MEC Mokonyane reiterated government's commitment to rid Gauteng of Informal settlements by 2014 . “The department will be able to eradicate informal settlements through the delivery of 38 125 units and 133 of 405 informal settlements can be constructed insitu. This will be achieved through programmes such as Essential Services, Formal Housing, Community Builder Programme and Peoples Housing Process. “An agreement has been reached with municipalities that stringent measures should be implemented to curb land invasions in order to avoid mushrooming of such settlements,” she said. The MEC also announced that women, youth and the disabled stand to benefit form all housing infrastructure projects undertaken by the department. “As part of celebrating and honoring the heroines of the 1956 Women's march, we have identified 10 Women Construction companies so that at the end of the next three year period they should be able to compete in their own right with established developers. To this end we have allocated a total of R200 million per annum to support women empowerment programme” As a way of speeding up youth empowerment, the department is considering increasing the quota allocated to young people. Issued by Media Relations and Research Directorate. |
