Department of Housing honour late Eric Molobi

January 2008

Reflecting on the re-launch and the brainchild of Housing Minister Dr Lindiwe Sisulu, the project manager of Eric Molobi Innovation Hub, Mr Rudzani Mamphaga says the hub is one project that has really shown tangible results in as far as Breaking New Ground (BNG), as espoused by the minister.

This new policy, BNG, which focuses on comprehensive housing developments has been implemented at this hub constructors/developers are afforded an opportunity to put to test their new materials, if approved this new products are then used to build show villages.

The Minister has described the hub as "as a place where we will marshal public and private sector resources to innovate in design and construction, manpower, materials and finances. This is also where we would conduct training to enlarge the pool of the skills we have".

Mamphaga said the houses being built comprises of two types; namely subsidy and affordable products targeted for beneficiaries earning between R0-R3500 and R3501-R7000 respectively. The hub comprises of two areas a show village and houses for beneficiaries. The show village has 36 stands and currently 23 show houses are already completed. The second area has about 196 stands for earmarked for development of houses for beneficiaries. To date 50 houses are under construction (30 at completion stage) with 10 of them already being handed to the beneficiaries.

Mamphaga confirmed a total of 73 homes have been built using some of the materials already approved in the hub including steel, expanded polystyrene, wood, concrete, soil-cement stabilized bricks, Insulated steel panels, etc.

In addition, The hub will consists of 1 800 stands which will have a school, clinics, playgrounds and other amenities and the development will also have walk ups two or three storey apartment integrated with social amenities.

Eric Molobi Innovation Hub was relaunched in Soshanguve near Tshwane by the National Department of Housing in a joint venture with National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and Absa Bank to fast track housing delivery using various technologies, typologies as well minimising building costs.

The hub was named after the late visionary and chairperson of the National Housing Forum Eric Molobi. This was in recognition for his unwavering believe in uplifting communities as well as transforming NHRC into an institution that provided access to housing finance for the poor. A s a result of Molobi's efforts and commitment, the capital housing subsidy was introduced and became the founding basis for 2, 4 million houses built since 1994.

Eric Molobi led the Kagiso Trust, a fund established with European Union funding in 1985 to support and achieve the development of communities. The innovation hub priorities for next year "are to install electricity, construction of tarred road, also to ensure that all houses are tested for quality", said Mamphaga.