The National Department of Human Settlements in conjunction with the provincial department and the Matlosana local municipality launched the human settlements month on Monday with hype of activities geared towards service delivery and restoring dignity to the residents of Matlosana.
The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness on departmental programmes such as the Informal Settlements Upgrading Programme, Social Housing and FLISP (Help-Me-Buy-A-Home). The launch which coincided with, the Global Observance of World Habitat Day, was celebrated under the theme Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind.
The Department aims to go on publicity drive to showcase its services and assure residents that the department is still commitment to create sustainable human settlements for all South Africans. Launching the month, the Matlosana Mayor councillor James Tsolela, handed over two houses to elderly women in Alabama, planted trees and vegetable garden as part of departmental greening campaign, visited human settlements projects, such as completed social housing, Community residential units, informal settlements upgrading project and further addressed residents on Human Settlements challenges and programmes.
“We want to assure our people that we are still committed as government to deliver habitable houses with basic amenities. We want to further assure them that the houses that they stay in belongs to them, through the title deed programme. Government also wants to restore the dignity of our people, by building houses for them, mostly those that never owned a proper house before. Majority of our people live in informal settlements and with the speed that government intends to deliver houses, we are sure that we are on a step in the right direction,” said Mayor Tsolela
Ms Mamang More 73 and Johana Nokwane 67, both are residents of Alabama Extention 5. They have never stayed in a proper house before as they have been staying in two roomed shack with their children and grandchildren. The social grants recipients were the happiest to receive keys to their new houses. They believe that the houses are the legacy that government has given them and will last for decades and house other generations. They both thanked government for making sure that they stay in better homes, away from the health hazard shacks they stayed in for over a decade.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.
