Housing in Southern Africa October-November 2016

News

R2,1 bn housing in North West to participate in the 2016 NHBRC Women Empowerment Programme. Women fromall provinces are invited to apply for this programme, which is run by the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in Illovo Sandton. This women contractor development programme provides business and financial skills, project and construction manage- ment.”

T he Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Zou Kota-Freder- icks recently announced that the North West Province has been allocated R2,1 billion for housing. The Deputy Minister says that 30% of the Department of Human Settle- ments budget has been allocated to women-owned and 10% for youth– owned businesses. “We want each province to implement these targets for women and youth. Of the R2,1 billion for the North West Province R585 million is ear- marked for mining towns and a further R30 million for the roll out of title deeds. Kota-Fredericks says that women contractors are break- ing through the glass ceiling in con- struction and 13 new women owned entities in the province have been allocated 1 956 units to commemo- rate the 1956 Anniversary of the historic Women’s March to the Union Building. “We have launched a call for women owned business entities

The 1 956 houses will be rolled out in Ngaka Modiri Molema, Bojanala District and Dr Ruth Mompati. The construction companies in- clude: Reiti (124 units); Sechoaro (124 units); Blue Flame (123 units); OPT (124 units); Phela Umsebenzi (124 units); Maidu (250 units); Rena- nao (250 units); Mwelase (250 units); Magasa Civil (94 units); Thari e Ntsho (93 units); Siyanda (66 units); Agang (66 units); and Bondicept (68 units). The Deputy Minister is encourag- ingwomen to become involved in the sector across the entire supply chain, from developing, building, quantity

Zou Kota-Fredericks

surveying, engineering, real estate, town planning, property manage- ment and social housing institutions. She says, “We have also seen women owned businesses participating in these programmes and building beautiful high rise structures.” ■