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Programme Director

Madam Speaker: Clr Rachael Madinda

Chief Whip of the ruling party: Clr Vuyani Kolisi

Members of the Mayoral Committee

The Chairperson of the Housing Portfolio Committee: Clr Nomhle Gaga

Leaders of all Political Parties

Fellow Councillors

Acting Municipal Manager: Mr Tembinkosi Myalato

Provincial and District Officials of Human Settlement Department

Managers and Officials of the Council

UPhahla Management

Distinguished Guests

The Media

Fellow Citizens

It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me to share this morning with you and to be part of this very important event. This session provides us with an opportunity to examine the complex challenges of housing. Under the leadership of the ruling party African National Congress has build 2,7 houses . This means that we have laid a very strong foundation but however that does not mean that we should not acknowledge the complex challenges and that there is much more to be done. Let us not forget that we are emerging from that period in our history that restricted home ownership to a privileged few, the era of institutionalised racism that sought to deny all those other than whites, ownership of property in general and that of the land in particular. Part of this was to deny the majority of our people their dignity. Thus our struggle was for freedom, equality, justice and human rights.

In this context, to be free means in part to have:

• Access to housing;

• Access to water and sanitation;

• Access to health care and roads; and

• To live in communities are safe and secure.

We (Makana Municipality & Department of Human Settlement) has built a number houses around Makana areas in the past with good cooperation among each other. Mayfield Phase 2 project came at the right time in our municipal area where our community are desperate of a shelter to live and will also work as part of bucket eradication programme. Mayfield project will also play a critical role in eradicating the informal settlement around Makana Municipal area (This project is not only for Grahamstown but for greater Makana community and all wards are represented in the beneficiary administration). The project has commenced on a high speed and other critical steps nearly left behind but our teams (Makana Municipality and Department of Human Settlement) are working on the closely in resolving such matters. Other than the Mayfield Phase 2 project, Makana Municipality has been involved with the department in implementing Human Settlement Development and the following projects in construction/blocked/slow running/rectification and new projects:

• Transit Camp 440 – in construction but with slow speed using the SMMEs

• Eluxolweni 176 – standstill in complete with approx. 6 units not commenced

• Fingo Village 577 – standstill in complete with 340 units still to be built

• Mayfield Phase 2 – GOOD RUNNING project

• With the following projects that has been blocked few years ago:

• Alicedale 16

• KwaNdancama (Newtown) 33

• Riebeeck East 22

We must work together as a team, we must stop the figure pointing approach and I have hope that Maraica has learnt some good and bad lessons from Transit Camp. I am also appealing that emerging contractors and local suppliers must be prioritised to benefit from the project, the quality must be essential.

The following projects are under the rectification programme:

• Ghost Town

• Scotsfarm

• With Post-1994 is a long list of projects that has been assessed by NHBRC but never return with way forward. And the following list of projects are new and need urgent attention as to remove pressure from Mayfield Phase 2 because community feel that we are only concentrating to that project for implementation the Human Settlement Development around Makana area:

• Tantyi Phase 2 – 250 units still need to be built

• Infill Areas (Department of Human Settlement has approved the below mentioned projects for implementation):

• ZOLANI,

• XOLANI,

• MNANDI (Upper & Lower)

• M – Street

• N– Street

• J – Street

Municipal council did instruct/mandate that an application be made to Human Settlement for the bucket eradication and include the housing application as part of informal eradication (Human Settlement has approved the projects for implementation during 2013 year).

We have also non-formalised areas but in process to do readiness and apply:

•  Ethembeni

•  Phaphamani

•  Reibeeck East

•  Alicedale 316 beneficiary administration must continue

•  And other potential vacant land areas

TURNAROUND PLAN

We need to enter into a service delivery agreement on how we are going to implement the challenging projects as follows:

IN-COMPLETE PROJECTS

• Eluxolweni 176: finishing of the incomplete houses, building of 06 units not started and the plastering of the units. We also appreciate the termination of Toro ya Africa contractor.

• Fingo Village 577: finishing of the incomplete houses, building of 340 units not started and plastering of ALL units

• Transit Camp 440: finishing of the uncomplete houses and handover the project to Makana Municipality.

BLOCKED PROJECTS

• Alicedale 23, KwaNdancama (Newtown) 33 and Reibeeck East 15 – need to re-assess the units for both of us to understand the extend of the project status.

NEW PROJECTS

• Tantyi 250 and the INFILL AREAS – need to finalise the project readiness exercise and develop an action plan. We need to fast-track the implementation of this projects as our community has been leaving in those areas for years and we will be also attending to the issues of BUCKET ERADICATION around Makana. Officials of both the Makana Municipality and Department of Human Settlement, you are trusted by myself, my colleagues (Makana Councillors) and the Makana Community to create this with the urgency it deserve. Therefore, I request that you conclude the SLA by Tuesday, 26th March 2013 so that the Acting Municipal Manager can present the SLA to Council on the 28th March 2013 for approval. Ladies and gentleman, the success of this project is in our hands, let’s work together for the best interest of Makana community.

I thank you!