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President Jacob Zuma has opened a 1 000 unit social housing project in Pietermaritzburg in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, saying that his administration wants to work with the private sector and communities to increase the country’s housing stock.
Zuma received a hero’s welcome yesterday from the several thousand residents of Imbali township who turned out for the community interaction event which followed the opening, at which keys were handed over to several residents.
The embattled ANC president received a standing ovation as he entered the massive marquee set up by the KwaZulu-Natal and national human settlements ministries, with chants of “Zuma, Zuma” breaking out as he took to the podium along with a large entourage of security personnel.
Several of his supporters, including ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson and acting premier Sihle Zikalala and provincial transport MEC Mxolisi Kaunda, used the event as a platform to defend Zuma’s recent Cabinet reshuffle.
However the man himself stayed away from the subject and dealt with the housing delivery issue only.
Zuma said the ANC government had provided 4.5 million families with either houses or subsidies since 1994 and was now also aiming at providing subsidised rental housing to those who earned too much for an RDP house or subsidy but too little to secure a bond from a commercial bank.
The R400 million Westgate project will provide 1 000 two bedroomed units, which come with an open plan kitchen and lounge, to residents earning between R3 500 and R7 500 a month at rentals which are around half the market rate.
Projects like Westgate, which is funded by the state with private sector participation, provided an opportunity for working youth to live in “decent and well-located accommodation” while promoting social integration and addressing the legacy of apartheid spatial planning, Zuma said.
He added that while only the eThekwini and Umsunduzi municipalities were providing social housing, five others had applied for the creation of restructuring zones in which social rental housing would be provided.
Zuma said the department of human settlements had published the Property Practitioners Bill which will regulate the industry and transform it for comment in a bid to establish a more inclusive and representative property sector.
Zuma said housing delivery was made more difficult by the increasing migration of people from rural areas to the cities, spiraling material costs.
Government needed to use new methods of delivery, setting up 10 000 unit projects and subsidy systems for people earning between R3 500 and R15 000 a month to allow them to build or renovate property through loans of up to R87 000.
