The Department of Human Settlements (DHS) will launch 77 “catalytic projects” across the country, which will allow it to achieve its target of building 1.5-million houses over the next five years.
Speaking on Thursday at a national contractors and developer’s workshop aimed at building partnerships with the private sector, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu highlighted that the department had already identified public and private land that would be put at the disposal of developers.
The budget needed to develop these catalytic projects had also been calculated.
While she was not willing to divulge the numbers as yet, Sisulu did note that the budget would be ring-fenced and channelled through the Housing Development Agency (HDA), which would manage the 77 projects.
Sisulu further highlighted that the DHS would introduce a “re-engineered” direct financing institution, which would be known as the Housing Finance Corporation.
Minister Sisulu would lobby for the creation of a Human Settlements law, following the finalisation of the White Paper on Human Settlements, which would ensure that all involved in human settlements understood their different roles and responsibilities.
The megaprojects would be a mix of different integrated settlements, which would include healthcare, educational, police services and social developments.
“For each of these projects we will require that we enter into a memorandum of understanding that has very strict adherence principles, timeframes, work ethics and the necessary penalty clauses,” Sisulu noted.
