SPEECH BY HOUSING MINISTER BRIGITTE MABANDLA AT THE LAUNCH OF THE HAVEN HILLS SOUTH HOUSING PROJECT IN EAST LONDON, 24 JANUARY 2004. 

Programme Director
His Excellency Pieter Van Geel
MEC Nkwinti
Mayor Sindisile Maclean
Mr Carl Niehaus from Presidency
Mr Rene Grotenhuis
Mr Rob Van Leij
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Today, we gather for an important event, the opening of the Haven Hills South Housing Project. I am pleased to see amidst us, His Excellency Mr Pieter Van Geel, the Dutch Minister of Environmental Affairs. I am proud to say that he represents a country that has distinguished itself as one of our staunch supporters and a partner in low cost housing development.

Sustainable housing development, as we have proved in the past ten years, is linked to many things beyond the mere construction of what is referred to as “top structures”, or houses. From the quality of the water we drink and the air we breathe, to the way we create employment, the way we manage waste, and the integration of housing settlements into the economic areas of our communities, all these kinds of issues work together to create harmonious and supportive environments. Perhaps most importantly, sustainable housing development is about the environment that we as people, as humans, create for ourselves. Housing is central to that environment,      for many reasons.

So housing continues to play a major role in the transformation of our landscape and land use patterns as well as the way in which it contributes towards local and regional economic growth. Hence the South African government is always willing to engage with other stakeholders from around the world against the backdrop of what we have achieved in housing the nation of South Africa. And we engage conscious of the challenges still ahead of all of us.

This is the reason our achievements are not just about numbers - although I am sure you would agree with me that 1,5 million housing units since this government came to power is an impressive number. These achievements are also to be seen in the fact that housing is firmly located at the top of the national agenda in a way it never was before.

All of us - government at national, provincial and local level, the private sector, and individuals - are conscious of the role housing can play in creating and sustaining viable communities.

Meanwhile, the Government has also formulated a housing delivery approach which makes the diversification of housing options a reality to all communities and helps speed up the process of housing delivery. The move away from an emphasis on the one-plot-one-house developmental approach to the more inclusive approach that spreads emphasis to all other housing delivery programmes such as rental/ medium density and rapid land release, among others, should be seen as an attempt by the government to meet the diverse needs of our people in terms of housing.

However, I must mention that ours is a focused developmental approach, coupled with the establishment of capacity and expertise at local government level as well as active community participation.  This kind of approach will, at the end of the day, ensure progress in the implementation of all these programmes. Our observation is that in all the government's development programmes; it is when everyone concerned takes initiatives in the development of their areas that success is optimised. Against this backdrop, it is important that government continues to play its role in ensuring that all key stakeholders are able to equally and proactively play their respective roles and to perform to the best of their ability.

The project we are launching today is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable housing developments to have been completed in the past ten years of our democratic rule. From the innovative manner in which the Haven Hills South Housing Project has been conceived, planned and implemented to the adherence to principles of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development.

The project has facilitated the creation of sustainable job opportunities by providing construction training, with an emphasis on earth construction techniques, to address the specific issues of the high numbers of unskilled youth; the high unemployment in this region and the huge demand for good quality affordable housing.

A compressed earth brick factory that provides 35 people with sustainable jobs bears testimony to the appropriateness of this project. I am told the factory makes use of manual presses to achieve an impressive production rate of about 12 000 bricks per week.

Most important is the intention of the Van der Leij Habitat Foundation, to privatise the factory in the near future, so that it can be owned by the current employees. And I am also told that several workers have already been selected to start a management and business training programme at the local Technikon this year. I have no doubt that this is indeed the better way of preparing these people for more responsibility.

The advancement of the quality of our houses surely depends in large part on the manner in which we develop construction technology in this country. This is the reason I am impressed by the use of compressed earth brick, which is an innovative  development in the context of our housing delivery programme. It is also encouraging that a specific training module dealing with the handling of this technology has also been developed to ensure its acceptance and sustainability.

Furthermore, we should thank our local training institutions for promptly coming on board. I am told this module has also been introduced into the standard bricklaying courses of the local training institution. 

We attribute the success of this project in meeting its objectives to many individuals and structures such as the Dutch government, CRATerre-EAG, a French NGO linked to the Building University in Grenoble, Buffalo City Municipality, the government and other community-based structures. For that I would like to thank the Mayor and his Council as well as the MEC and the provincial government for such visionary leadership shown to the rest of the country and the community, which always rallies behind you, making your efforts manageable and successful. I also would like to seize this opportunity to express my greatest gratitude to other institutions involved in this project.  

In general terms, the Haven Hills South Housing Project has demonstrated integrated and sustainable urban planning at local level, including a wide range of higher-density housing options as an alternative to the traditional low-density urban sprawl that has characterised our cities. House types offered within the scope of the project include government subsidised low-income housing, rental stock and houses for sale. The beneficiaries, therefore, have an option to rent or own their properties, thus very capably meeting the government’s objective of diversifying housing options to meet our people’s varying needs. At least 556 households have exercised their right to choose the housing they prefer from low-income government subsidised units to institutional and credit-linked subsidies. This is indeed a milestone in the history of housing delivery in South Africa.  In this manner, the project allows for a balance between affordability, sustainability and quality.

To further promote the principles of an integrated and sustainable area, I have heard that the intention is that mixed-use sites with shops downstairs and rental units above, units specifically adapted for the aged and a commercial site including a bakery, to be staffed by local residents, will be developed.

Adequate social facilities including church sites, a community centre, a school site and urban agricultural sites have been planned in the township layout to ensure liveability. Other open spaces such as the adjoining flood plain and land that is too steep for development should be actively managed and utilised to ensure that the uses are beneficial and acceptable to the community. In this regard training programmes in gardening and maintenance should indeed be planned to foster home gardening, neighbourhood beautification, urban agriculture, and maintenance of recreational areas.

The advantage with this type of housing development is that people are not only provided with adequate shelter, but are also entrusted with responsibility in maintenance and various skills in property management. On that note I would like to call upon all beneficiaries to cooperate in the running of this project and fulfil all their responsibilities and obligations, in the process helping to build a responsible nation.

Looking at the quality of these units and the security and comfort they provide there is no doubt that South Africa's housing delivery programme is moving towards meeting the challenges set out by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, or UN Habitat.  As a signatory to the Habitat Agenda, South Africa fully subscribes to these principles.  We are consciously moving towards a situation in which not only the basis needs of communities are supported through policy, but the higher level goal of sustainable settlements is also fulfilled.

It is one of our objectives to create safe living environments for our people and in every house built we have strived to ensure that this is realised. At the city level, perceptions of insecurity often result in the abandonment of certain neighbourhoods, the development of an "architecture of fear", the stigmatisation of districts or communities, the withdrawal of the business community or their refusal to invest in some cities.

The major consequence of insecurity, though, is its impact on the poor and the vulnerable groups. While it is true that all social classes are affected by insecure human settlements, research shows that insecurity affects the poor more intensely because they do not have the means to defend themselves. Unlike the rich who can afford expensive private security and insurance policies, the poor remain helpless and subject their fate to the mercy of those in power.

Consequently, due to this vulnerability, urban violence tends to erode the social capital of the poor and dismantle their organisations, thus preventing social mobility of the society particularly that of the youth, disabled, women and the elderly.

The manner in which we design our human living environment should be informed by these factors and as I have already mentioned, this project is an example of how we can instil that sense of security and dignity in our communities through better design in the built environment.

Lastly, I want to thank His Excellency Mr Van Geel and the Dutch government for making this project possible through the assistance that they gave to the poor people in this country. Had it not been such a generous gesture by the Dutch government, we certainly would not be celebrating with our beneficiaries today. The housing opportunities created through this project and the job opportunities thereof will put a smile on the faces of the local people who will surely pass on this treasured asset to the generations to come - thus extending the smile that you have attached to them to generations still to come. To all the tenants and owners this is a valued asset most probably your most valued asset, treasure it and look after it.

Allow me, Mr Van Geel, to pass the sense of gratitude from the people of South Africa to you and your people. To the MEC, the Mayor, the Van der Leij Habitat Foundation, the new and prospective tenants and owners and all those who have participated in making a success of this project and therefore participated in this countries housing programme,

I thank you.