MMC for Human Settlements, Cllr Mlungisi Mabaso

Section 79 Committee Chairperson, Cllr Alex Christians

Ward Councillor, Cllr Rickey Kashore Nair

City Officials

Members of the media

Esteemed guests

Over the last month I have had a number of engagements with young people, and the prevailing message is that the youth want to be seen, heard, and afforded the space and opportunities to excel. The idea that young people are lazy and simply looking for handouts must be rejected.

Evidence of that is today’s Youth in Construction Summit hosted by the MMC for, what is now known as, the Department of Human Settlements.

The change in the name is to align with the programmes of the National and Provincial spheres of Government, but also an expression that housing is not just about four walls and roof, but that housing must exist with the provision of other services such as water, lights, and sanitation, but also must be linked to social and economic amenities such as transport, access jobs opportunities, libraries, parks, and of course be safe and secure. In short, we are building communities and not just houses.

This means that housing must be linked to other Departments for these co-dependencies.

We are working to re-imagine housing and communities in Johannesburg; and this is expressed through Mayoral Priority number 4 of building and inclusive city where every corner of Joburg is a place where residents have all the amenities, they need to live a quality life, with access to housing and job opportunities.

MMC Mabaso,

One of the charges I gave to was to look at housing differently if we are going to address the City’s housing backlog of 480,000. We need to be able to look at different models, and even the martials we use to build housing structures – can we build homes for residents in need using different materials without compromising the quality thereof?

My hope therefore is that this summit is able to start asking this question, and even start answering it by considering the regulatory and policy hurdles that may exist. As the City of Joburg Multi-Party Government we do not just want to deliver as has been over the years, but we want to deliver differently, and better.

Delivering differently also means having innovative and critical thinkers around the table and in communities, which is where the value of this Summit comes in.

There are few that understand housing challenges and opportunities in Joburg like MMC for Human Settlements, Cllr Mabaso, who himself lived at the Dube Hostel in Soweto for 10-years. 

At 32-years old, he also understands the need to empower young people and the value young people bring when they are afforded, and even demand, space, and opportunities.

The City currently delivers approximately 2,500 housing units per annum, but the MMC has set a target for the Multi-Party Government of double that number – 5,000 units per annum.

This is in addition to issuing 3,000 titles deed; giving access to housing vouchers for qualifying residents who choose to self-build and benefit their local economy; building 1,876 site-and-service stands, a programme that has been given a boost of R1,7-billion over the next three-years, this is in addition to the R1,9-billion operating budget for the Department, which will go towards adequate human settlement projects form 1 July 2022, when the new budget takes effect.

In the coming financial years, we will also build 2,500 low-rent and rent-to-buy units in mixed-income developments and 895 social housing units.

We are making progress in addressing the City’s spatial apartheid by bringing housing and housing opportunities closer to economic opportunities.

This is our vision and programme of action for Human Settlement projects in the City, and of course as we repair and rebuild Joburg, so it can truly become a City of Golden Opportunities, we need to you, young people in construction to work with us.

We are not only building for today, but we are building for generations who will call Joburg their home.

I thank you.