One of the major challenges for housing provision in the Western Cape is that the province is a "favourite destination" for immigrants in search of job opportunities, better education, health care and improved standards of living.
That was the view expressed by the provincial Housing Department ahead of the annual Govan Mbeki housing awards due to take place on Thursday night.
"They don't come to get houses, but at the end of the day you need a home to go to, South Africa is a democratic country (and) we cannot control the movement of people into the province," said Vusi Tshose, spokesperson for Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi.
"As government alone, we cannot meet the housing challenges. We need partnerships, we need the private sector, banks, employers and communities to come on board in our quest to provide decent housing."
Tshose said unemployment and poverty in communities needed to be tackled first and foremost because these issues resulted in people selling the houses the government had built for them.
"They then go back to live in shacks, start accusing the government of not doing enough, try to go back to the housing list or start protest marches," he said.
Tshose said it was important to have communities as partners to address these issues, especially the issue of houses being seen as valuable assets that could be sold.
For the past three years the department had met its target of building 16,000 houses and servicing 18,000 sites annually.
Each year the department had also spent its full budget allocation. Tshose said to-night's awards were aimed at recognising valuable roleplayers in the vital area of housing provision.
These included developers, building contractors, the banking sector, community-based organisations, the mining sector, building material suppliers and professional associations, among others.
He said these players had supported the government in building sustainable human settlements.
The housing backlog currently stands at 410 000. - Cape Argus
That was the view expressed by the provincial Housing Department ahead of the annual Govan Mbeki housing awards due to take place on Thursday night.
"They don't come to get houses, but at the end of the day you need a home to go to, South Africa is a democratic country (and) we cannot control the movement of people into the province," said Vusi Tshose, spokesperson for Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi.
"As government alone, we cannot meet the housing challenges. We need partnerships, we need the private sector, banks, employers and communities to come on board in our quest to provide decent housing."
Tshose said unemployment and poverty in communities needed to be tackled first and foremost because these issues resulted in people selling the houses the government had built for them.
"They then go back to live in shacks, start accusing the government of not doing enough, try to go back to the housing list or start protest marches," he said.
Tshose said it was important to have communities as partners to address these issues, especially the issue of houses being seen as valuable assets that could be sold.
For the past three years the department had met its target of building 16,000 houses and servicing 18,000 sites annually.
Each year the department had also spent its full budget allocation. Tshose said to-night's awards were aimed at recognising valuable roleplayers in the vital area of housing provision.
These included developers, building contractors, the banking sector, community-based organisations, the mining sector, building material suppliers and professional associations, among others.
He said these players had supported the government in building sustainable human settlements.
The housing backlog currently stands at 410 000. - Cape Argus
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