Port Elizabeth October 16, 2015 Newly appointed Council Members of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) today paid an unannounced oversight visit to assess building standards at Fairview Social Housing project in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape.
As part of the Council Members oversight mandate, the purpose of the inspection by these senior officials was to highlight the importance of regulation in the housing industry.
Part of the government’s Social Housing Investment Programme, the Fairview Social Housing project is an award-winning project that aims to provide affordable, safe, high-quality housing to PE residents. The development was awarded both National and Provincial Govan Mbeki Human Settlements Awards, in the social housing category.
The NHBRC’s Provincial Manager in the Eastern Cape, Ms. Nombasa Ngoqo said that in the past, there had been a number of quality issues with low cost housing units. Billions of rands were spent repairing defective houses, she said. Ngoqo said that the NHBRC involvement right from the beginning of the building process had improved standards significantly.
It is crucial that any issues are picked up during the construction process. That way they can be rectified immediately, said Ngoqo.
She added that many homeowners are unaware that building contractors and sub-contractors are required by law to enrol all building projects with the NHBRC, which has offices in every Province.
Members of the South African public are encouraged to ensure that their builder or sub-contractor is registered with the NHBRC, and the council members are conducting unannounced site visits in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Kwa Zulu Natal she continued.
The second development the Council Members paid a visit to was the Tiryville, Uitenhage informal settlement upgrade. Dolfina Sedras, a local who has been living in the Tiryville area for 17 years recently received one of the completed units. I am so grateful to everyone who was involved. I love my new home. I am so proud and happy to have received such a blessing, she said.
The Council members expressed their satisfaction with the standard and quality of the units. We are very pleased with what we saw today at both projects. We can be sure that the recipients of the homes will also be happy with them, said Council Member Busi Nzo.
The Fairview project will consist of 400 units on completion and employ over 600 builders and artisans, while the Tiryville development will have a total of 166 in the first two phases, employing local youth.
Other Council members present today were: Mziwonke Jacobs, Phetola Makgathe, Hlaleleni Dlepu, Sam Kotane, Xoliswa Daku, Andisa Potwana and Christinah Mohale.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Molebogeng Taunyane on 011 317 0070 or email molebot@nhbrc.azurewebsites.net.
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FOR THE EDITOR: The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) is a statutory body with the responsibility to provide protection in terms of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act (Act No.95 of 1998). It is mandated to provide protection for housing consumers and to regulate the home building industry. For more information: nhbrc.azurewebsites.net