Residents receive competition houses
2010-02-11
Sieb Sieberhagen
DURING a ceremony on Tuesday, 25 houses which were built during the International Innovative Housing and Sustainable Energy Competition in Noodkamp, Wellington, were symbolically handed over to their new owners by the deputy national minister of housing, Zoë Kota-Fredericks, and Drakenstein Municipality Mayor Charmaine Manuel. The winner of this housing construction competition will be announced in March and the company will receive prize money worth R425 000. Eighteen local and international finalists from Kuwait, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Namibia took part in this competition to create awareness of alternative construction methods. Absa Bank was involved in this project, in collaboration with the NHBRC (National Home Builders Registration Council), NHFC (National Housing Finance Corporation), Agrément SA, AFD (Agence Francaise De Development), Drakenstein Municipality, Department of Housing, SDC (Swiss Development Corporation) and the University of Pretoria were involved in this project. Bonginkosi Madikizela, Western Cape minister of housing, congratulated all the role players on their effort. “I am really passionate about this competition. We have to look at ways to build more sustainably, more energy-efficiently and more cost effectively. “We have to close the gap between the subsidised housing market and the traditionally bonded market, so that those who fall into what is referred to as the Gap Market can also afford to own their own homes if they wish to do so. “The government is limited in the funds it has available to provide housing. It can only afford to assist the poorest of the poor. “We have to find ways to encourage private developers to service the affordable housing market and banks to finance that market. “This competition, as well as offering new products for the subsidised housing market, has generated new ideas about how the affordable housing market might be developed and sustained. “I am determined that this competition should be more than a once-off public relations exercise. I would like to see more of these show villages to be built around the province. “We have to break down the prejudices against alternatives to traditional brick-and-mortar building methods. The best way to do that is to show what can be built for the same cost, using other methods,” he said. Luthando Vutula, managing executive for Absa Home Loans, said they are committed to supporting the credo that every South African has access to permanent housing that provides secure tenure, privacy, protection from the elements and access to basic services.
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