The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements is committed to the implementation of 31 megaprojects that are expected to yield more than 300 000 houses when completed.

Unpacking the 2017/18 financial year’s budget vote for the department, MEC Paul Mashatile on Thursday said the department would continue to lead, coordinate and oversee the development of megaprojects, while the Gauteng Partnership Fund in collaboration with the Housing Development Agency, would be responsible for ensuring and managing the implementation thereof.

“The megaprojects are purposefully planned and developed to provide for the housing, social amenities and economic opportunity needs of communities,” he said, adding that they will also provide mixed housing typologies and security of tenure. 

He pointed out that the projects would reinforce key socioeconomic transformation principles and considerations of the Gauteng provincial government.

“Some of these principles and considerations are radical spatial reconfiguration, township economy revitalisation, urban renewal, inclusive and sustainable growth and development and massive infrastructure investment,” he noted.

Mashatile stated that the developmental elements included in the implementation of the projects were community engagement; the creation of short, medium and long-term jobs; the growth and sustainability of small, medium-sized and microenterprises involved in the construction sector; and the advancement of the province’s green agenda. 

“In terms of this, I have issued a directive that a minimum of 10% of all our human settlement projects must use alternative building technologies and we are at an advanced stage of implementing this directive,” he noted.

Mashatile added that the main element that would ensure the success of the megaproject strategy was the availability of financial resources.

“We are engaging in a robust capital raising intervention aimed at developing sustainable partnerships with the private sector. We believe this intervention will generate the funds required to address the government budget shortfall for our megaprojects,” he said.