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competent people,” says Sisulu.
Adding, “Together with the CSIR
and other departments we can find
solutions to problems of escalating
costs of building and using traditional
methods. We can test the viability
of our catalytic projects methods,
conduct studies of new methods of
dealing with old problems and urban
planning. The list of possibilities is
endless.”
This inaugural 2016 National
Human Settlements Conference
represents another step forward in
our journey to professionalise and
elevate the human settlements re-
search, education and practice. The
theme is an interdisciplinary effort for
transformation towards sustainable
and environmentally-friendly cities
and neighbourhoods. It straddles
across the social, economic, built
and natural environments, calling
for immediate action by all role
players in providing tangible solu-
tions to pressing questions that face
all government spheres, cities and
neighbourhoods.
The conference will explore re-
search capacity opportunities that
remain untapped. These include the
local and international resources for
augmenting institutional research
capacity that requires collaboration
across and between sectors and
countries.
The aim is to generate pragmatic
solutions to challenges facing human
settlements in both urban and rural
settings. Demonstrate best practice
science, technology and building
innovations to expedite housing de-
livery and sustainable human settle-
ments development. Consolidate the
key priority research areas for the hu-
man settlements sector that should
be pursued by all the role-players.
Foster strategic partnerships in
pursuit of sustainable human settle-
ments development across all scale.
It is intended to be a catalyst in
the realisation of the country’s am-
bitious vision of the development of
a capable state. In this respect, the
capacity of the state will require to be
enhanced at individual, institutional
and intra organisational level. This is
central to the efficient functioning of
the state.
There is a need to radically scale
up and augment the existing capac-
ity of the sector. Much of the capacity
challenges in South Africa relate to
historical under investment in educa-
tion, the lasting impact this has had
on the education, skills pipeline and
economic landscape. The implica-
tions of the current substantial
shortage of skilled professionals in
the built environment and human
settlements sector will severely im-
pede South Africa’s ability to plan
and deliver infrastructure, which in
turn has a constraining influence on
economic performance.
She notes the challenges how do
we strengthen capacity at a sector
wide level? How are these initiatives
to be implemented? What role can
universities play? Historically and
currently universities play a vital role
in a country’s development. Universi-
ties are key institutions or engines of
skills, capacity and knowledge gen-
eration. The change from Housing to
Human Settlements demands a sys-
temic response by all actors involved
in the sector. The current state of play
in South Africa is to ensure processes
are in place to support profession-
alisation and that these culminate in
the passing of legislation governing
and regulating human settlements
practice in the country.
Establishing professional, globally
benchmarked, standards have the
potential to introduce
uniformity in business
practices and with
it increased investor
confidence. This will
require the training of
professionals to these
standards across the
range of built environ-
ment professions.
She encourages in-
dustry stakeholders and
private sector to work
with academic institutions
to ensure students receive
mentorship or internship
opportunities.
Saying that the Depart-
ment remains committed
to facilitating a framework
to create opportunities,
incentives and rewards for
those professionals who
attain pre-defined professional stan-
dards. “Not only will this raise and
unify standards, it will increase pres-
tige, mobility and status of human
settlements practitioners. This will
in turn have the effect of boosting
consumer and investor confidence in
the state and those operating in the
human settlements sector.”
A crucial aspect of any process
of meaningful social and economic
change is the collecting of data, re-
search methods, techniques of data
analysis and dissemination, includ-
ing audience of peers for scientific
Lindiwe Sisulu
review and critique.
The Department of Human Settle-
ments’ capacity enhancement strat-
egy includes: Focusedmulti-disciplin-
ary education in the area of human
settlements education; Development
of a trans disciplinary Research
Agenda which responds with an evi-
dence based approach to challenges
facing the sector; Development of
a menu of short courses to support
Continued Professional Development
of especiallymid-career professionals;
and Codification and development
of the body of knowledge relevant
to Human Settlements Development
and Management. Sisulu concludes:
“This conference is responding in a
practical and meaningful way to the
current need for further research
into sustainable human settlements
development and management. This
approach provides opportunities to
a number of academic departments
and disciplines to contribute to the
creation of knowledge.”
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