Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has called on the provinces to ensure that sustainable integrated spatial planning becomes an integral part of all human settlements business plans.

During her first public engagement as the Minister of Human Settlements at uMshwati, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, Kubayi emphasised that for any human settlements business plan to be approved it must demonstrate sustainability and integrated planning.

“Our mandate is to change the lives of South Africans and end apartheid spatial planning. Human settlements should have all the necessary infrastructure including roads, bulk, education facilities, clinics and recreational facilities. We cannot build where there are no economic activities,” Kubayi said.

The Minister implored officials to put themselves in the shoes of the people they serve.

“If these temporary shelters are not good for you why give them to someone else. Services we provide to our people must be of standard we can expect for ourselves,” she said.

In an effort to ensure that there is a good relationship between the department and its stakeholders, the Minister made an undertaking to ensure that there is transparency in everything the department does.

“There is a huge trust deficit between government and the public and it is because our work has lacked transparency and accountability,” the Minister said.

While acknowledging the great work that has been done over the years, the Minister made a call to all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector to accelerate housing delivery.

The department, working with provinces, has delivered close to 15 000 housing units at a value of over R3 billion in the first quarter of the financial year 2021/2022.

The Minister will be in KwaZulu-Natal over the next few days to receive briefings on their plans for the coming years.

She will also engage community members, do project visits and handover houses.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Jomo Sibiya joined the Minister during her engagement.

Source: South African Government News Agency