Housing in Southern Africa September 2015

Housing

in Kewtown are improved. Our CRU upgrade team has been determined and committed to improving the lives of our residents and they have demonstrated what public service is really about.” The contract included the provision that over 50% of the budget was set aside for local labour in the Kewtown community. “The success of the project can largely be attributed to the estab- lishment of a network of private and public partnerships. We are indeed making progress possible by working together,” said van Minnen. The project comprised of general Best Community Residential Units – Cape Town At the annual prestigious Govan Mbeki 2015 Awards held in Cape Town, the City of Cape Town was laudedbytheNationalDepartment of Human Settlements, for its efforts to improve the lives of its vulnerable residents, maintenance work such as repairing leaks in pipes and roofs, glazing and painting. Attention was also paid to external and internal walls with cracks and holes, the waterproof- ing of floors, renewing floor cover- ings, ensuring doors and windows worked properly, that electrical and plumbing installations compliedwith regulations. The window sills, stairs, balustrades and handrails were also refurbished. The surrounding areas between the apartment buildings were also improved, to contribute to the gen- eral quality of life of the tenants. ■

T he City’s Community Residen- tial Unit Refurbishment Project at Kewtown in the Athlone area took the top honour at the Govan Mbeki Awards for the Best Commu- nity Residential Unit (CRU) project in the country. The Govan Mbeki Awards recog- nise excellence across all spheres of local, provincial and national govern- ment and regulatory bodies, devel- opment finance institutions, banks, social housing providers, developers and contractors in the housing sector. The City of Cape Town’s CRURefur- bishment Programme comprises up- grading 7 500 units in a bid to improve the living conditions of residents in some of the most volatile areas in the city. Kewtown includes 320 CRU units and the City’s Mayoral Commit- tee Member for Human Settlements, Benedicta van Minnen says, “The Kewtown project went beyond its pri- mary objective of merely upgrading the buildings. Our staff and contrac- tors have gone above the call of duty to ensure that the lives of our tenants

C onstruction is one of the biggest drivers of economic growth in South Africa. Up un- til now it has been a predominantly male-dominated industry – but that is changing. For the past few years, we have seen women rising up to the challenge and making a difference in this market. In 2014, the National Home Build- ers Registration Council (NHBRC) rec- ognised that women in construction were being held back due to a short- age of skills and training. To address this issue, the NHBRC developed the Women Empowerment Programme (WEP) in partnership with Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). NHBRC’s graduate programme WEP is a four-month programme that sees selected women undergo- ing academic training, networking and mentorship support led by lead- ing academics and key influencers in the industry. Today the second group of 80 women will graduate through the programme. ‘’Women were previously under- represented in the industry,” says Xoli Daku, chairperson of WEP Panel. “Through the WEP we hope to change the perception that the construction industry is no place for women. The programme aims to encourage entrepreneurship and improve the lives of women in South Africa,” adds Daku. ■

September 2015