22 / 60
2
A Paradigm Shift
M
inister of Human Settle-
men t s , L i nd iwe S i su l u
opened the conference at
the Boardwalk Conference Centre in
Port Elizabeth. The event was due to
take place at theNelsonMandelaMet-
ropolitan University but was swiftly
shifted as students around the coun-
try mobilised and continued their
plight for free education.
Sisulu says that the recent higher
education Imbizo has emerged with
proposals for a solution and solicited
the private sector to find a lasting
solution.
She says, “These events have
impressed upon us the importance
of access to higher education oppor-
tunities. As the debate rages on, we
would like to borrow from our own
experience, some of the concepts
that we in human settlements have
adopted in order to deal with our
housing matters.
These include: a qualifying criteria;
progressive realisation of a goal; and
respect for the rights of others. It is
necessary forme to contextualise this
conference against the backdrop of
education, because we are gathered
here in the pursuit of knowledge.
The determination to professionalise
this sector was sown at about the
time we ourselves were busy with
reconceptualising our own position
in 2004, shifting our paradigm from
housing to integrated settlements.
We struggled to find the academic
support to take us to where we need-
ed to be. But as we forged ahead, we
found that it was necessary that we
create this new discipline if we are to
sustain ourselves and grow.”
Sisulu adds that with government
funding several universities came on
board to offer various courses and the
Nelson Mandel Metropolitan Univer-
sity has produced a four year curricu-
lum in the field of Human Settlement
Studies. The university will also host
the Chair for Human Settlements in
the discipline of Education.
“We sold this new idea to several uni-
versities and I will never know what
was more attractive: the idea itself
or the money that it brought with it.
Whatever it was, we are the winners
in these partnerships. We will create
and strengthen our professional crop
of staff in the housing sector.”
Other leading institutions such as
the University of the Witwatersrand
is offering a course that will lead to a
Master of Built Environment degree.
The Human Settlement Post Gradu-
ate Certificate at Wits is accredited at
NQF Level 7. The University of South
Africa is offering a degree of Bach-
elor of Human Settlement in Public
Administration. This course has the
capacity to train about 1 000 officials
who started in January 2016.
The global crisis on housing con-
tinues with the issue of shortage
of housing, especially affordable
housing. The recent election of the
Mayor of London was hotly con-
tested around the housing crisis.
In South Africa the enormity of the
problem is still ahead of us. We need
well thought through solutions,
scientifically tested and executed by
The residential market
received a shake-up at
the recent inaugural
2016 National Human
Settlements Conference
held in Port Elizabeth.
The event promoted
cutting edge technologies
and a stellar series of
presentations from the
National Home Builders
Registration Council
(NHBRC).
The aim is to generate
pragmatic solutions to
challenges facing human
settlements in both urban and
rural settings.