The Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, and Deputy Minister, Pam Tshwete will lead a media briefing on Friday, 31 March 2023, to announce policy changes on the Emergency Housing Programme and the fully subsidized housing programme (Breaking New Ground).

These changes will come into effect from the 1st of April 2023, to amongst other things, increase the delivery of housing units and enable the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) to respond to disasters effectively and timeously. Over the past few months, some parts of the country have experienced disasters, including fires and floods. These disasters have mainly affected provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, with the recent incident in Port St Johns.

The time it takes to provide emergency housing solutions to the affected victims has been of concern. Therefore, the revised policy considers the delivery method, cutting off the red tape in applying for disaster funds and thus fast-tracking the response time to provide alternative accommodation for disaster victims.

Details are as follows:

Date: Friday, 31 March 2023
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Venue: Imbizo Media Centre, Parliament of RSA, Cape Town

RSVP: Members of the media are requested to confirm their attendance with Isaac Skhosana at 076 875 5681 or Isaac.skhosana@dhs.gov.za

Media Enquiries: Contact Hlengiwe Nhlabathi-Mokota, Spokesperson to Minister Kubayi, on 064 754 8426 or Nozipho Zulu, DHS Head of Communications, on 078 457 9376.

Issued by the Ministry of Human Settlements
Govan Mbeki House
240 Justice Mahomed Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0001