Human settlements minister Thembi Simelane has announced an Innovative Building Technologies (IBT) summit next month to help government accelerate housing delivery and transform the country’s pre-1994 spatial planning. According to Simelane, the continued existence of informal settlements and mud houses is a critical concern, particularly in rural and disaster-prone provinces like Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where recent flooding left more than 30 people dead and hundreds displaced, as 3,750 homes were destroyed. “Natural disasters displace our communities and damage housing infrastructure, but the impact goes beyond housing; it affects schools, clinics, hospitals and roads.
We need new and innovative approaches to housing delivery that are faster, safer, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and climate resilient,” she said. “We seek to achieve spatially transformed and integrated communities. Without speed we will not be able to achieve this or dampen the increase of informal settlements.
The more we construct slowly and spend time, the more indirectly we put pressure on municipalities in terms of land availability and growth of informal settlements, that now sit at 4,700. As we sit here there is one shack being built, if not more.” Simelane was speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday on the upcoming IBT summit to be held in Nasrec, Johannesburg, for which she says 505 delegates and 43 departments have already confirmed attendance. “The summit provides a national platform for government, the private sector and civil society to explore and advance practical housing solutions.
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Mud houses are highly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and flooding, posing serious risks to occupants. Disaster-affected communities should not be subjected to prolonged periods in unsafe and inadequate living conditions,” she said. According to Simelane, innovative building technologies could help speed up housing delivery while maintaining quality, safety and compliance.
“Housing delivery must also contribute to economic transformation through local production, skills development and job creation,” she said. Simelane said for the 2026/27 grant framework the department has made a “minimum” provision of 2% on IBT-related projects.
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