|
A
total of 200 000 low-cost houses are provided by the Department of
Housing each year.
Through the provinces and municipalities, the Department of Housing is
by far the largest constructor of houses in the country.
According
to the publication Housing and the Economy of South Africa, private
companies constructed 40 000 houses in 2005, while the government
built 200 000.
These 200 000 houses are valued at an estimated R4,5 billion per year.
In addition to providing low-cost housing, the construction has also
created 15 000 direct jobs. A further 14 000 jobs have been created
through the manufacturing of building materials.
Empowering women
To
empower women, government has distributed 10% of all provincial
housing budgets to projects led by women constructors.
Since
2000, 290 out of 2 573 projects were allocated to women.
Training
To involve the youth in housing programmes, there is a youth
internship programme targeting students heading for construction-related
qualifications, offering bursaries to seven of them for 2006.
In
2007, 20 students at universities of technology (formerly technikons)
and universities will receive such bursaries.
To
make a stronger home-building industry, a skills-training programme
for contractors has been introduced by the National Home Builder’s
Registration Council. This is a body established to protect
house-owners from unfair homebuilders.
This
programme includes a course by the Construction, Education and
Training Authority (CETA) in financial, project and construction
management.
An
amount of R10 million has been budgeted to train 2 700 emerging
constructors in housing. To date, more than 250 housing constructors
have been trained.
The
budget will be increased to R20 million in 2006 and training centres will
be established countrywide.
Affordable finance
Other institutions, such as the National Housing Finance Corporation
provide, among other things, affordable housing loans.
The
National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency provides finance to
established and emerging contractors who build subsidised houses,
credit-linked (bond) housing, rental housing and infrastructure and
community facilities.
During the 2004 financial year, the agency approved 47 loans to
emerging contractors to the value of R63 million. It involves about 17
000 housing units. The agency paid out 15 loans to the value of R55
million to established contractors in the same year.
Encouraging support
The
People’s Housing Partnership Trust supports the people’s housing
process. The Trust encourages support for organisations that help
people to develop building- and project-management skills for housing
delivery. The
Rural Housing Loan Fund was formed to assist poor families in the
rural areas with funds to build their own houses and improve their
living conditions.
In
2005, more than 15 000 people received loans to the value of a total
of more than R69 million. |