Umm Muhammed Umar

Radio Islam spoke to Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi at the venue for the State of the Nation Address, the City Hall, in Cape Town.

Kubayi explained how important the SONA was for the various ministers, saying it was where ministers took their direction from. She said, “(its) where we have a wish list where you want to see certain things announced for your own portfolio by the President.” Kubayi added, “We hoping that today, (the) President will announce quite critical shifts in terms of human settlements, but more importantly, as he said previously, around the economic reconstruction and recovery plan.” The Minister said that the anchor pillar was infrastructure, and that human settlements falls within the infrastructure portfolio.

Minister Kubayi mentioned that the construction of mega cities and new smart cities had been previously announced. She said the Department of Human Settlements was leading and playing a critical role with respect to these envisioned cities.

When questioned about what specifically needed to be changed for the country to follow on a trajectory of growth, for a better future for all, Kubayi said the first thing to do was to change the landscape. She said the department had to ensure that people were not located far from work opportunities. She said, “So, bringing them closer to cities, bringing them closer to the place of work, so that they don’t spend a lot of money traveling.” Kubayi said, “When we develop new settlements, we should be able to ensure that social amenities are there: things such as a clinic, a school, a police station as part of the development.” According to the Minister, the concept of mega cities included shopping malls, and business parks, with digital access, and fibre, part of the integrated process. The Department of Human Settlements Minister would have to partner with the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies to ensure that fibre at home, and access to the internet, became a reality for South Africans.

The two thirds majority vote in parliament, for the change of the Constitution to accommodate for expropriation without compensation was not obtained. While Kubayi agreed that that had been a setback, she said that her department would continue their work. continue to work, as there was 14 000 square meters of land available to work with. Kubayi said, “the land that is in the hands of the state, that is suitable for human settlements, needs to be released for human settlements.” She added that the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure was working on the expropriation bill, in collaboration with an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.