Housing in Southern Africa October-November 2016

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 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).

A Paradigm Shift M inister of Human Settle- men t s , L i nd iwe S i su l u opened the conference at

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.” The aim is to generate pragmatic solutions to challenges facing human settlements in both urban and rural settings. 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

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