South Africa: Bombela in Bid to Meet World Cup Deadline - BOMBELA, the Gautrain concessionaire, said yesterday it had put forward a cheaper option which would see the first phase of the rail link completed in time for next year's Soccer World Cup. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Road Agency Scaling Back Its Projects in Johannesburg - THE Johannesburg Roads Agency yesterday said budget cuts had forced it to scale back some road projects and "reprioritise" others in the country's richest city, which is battling with backlogs on capital projects and maintenance. [AA Construction]

South Africa: MEC Promises 600 Houses for the Disabled - Mpumalanga's MEC for Human Settlements, Madala Masuku, has assured disabled people living in Bushbuckridge that the provincial government will provide them with houses that suit their needs. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Mpumalanga Government to Provide Housing for Disabled - The Mpumalanga Provincial Government has on Thursday launched a campaign to ensure disadvantaged disabled people in the province receive RDP homes that meet their special needs. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Busier Factories Signal Start of Recovery - FACTORY output rose a hefty 3,1% in September, more strongly than expected and backing the view that the most embattled sector is starting to recover. [AA Urbanisation]

By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - The Department of Human Settlements will embark on activities starting Monday, to mark the annual Human Settlements week.

Themed "Working together to restore people's dignity", the activities will kick-off on Monday in Limpopo, which is the province of focus for this year.

The Human Settlements week is aimed at highlighting the successes, challenges and planned corrective measures put in place to fast track the delivery of sustainable human settlements.

The initiation seeks to foster the spirit of volunteerism and partnerships between governments, the community and stakeholders in the housing sector.

Planned activities for this year in Limpopo include a Celebrity Build, where local celebrities will build a house for one of the identified beneficiaries in Moletjie, in Ga-Moeti village.

Representatives from the department will join the mayor of Musina Local Municipality, Cllr Caroline Mahasela, members of the South African Police Service, Community Development Workers and ward councilors on a door-to-door campaign aimed at addressing some of the challenges facing the communities at the border town of Musina.

Cape Town - Government says the newly established Housing Development Agency (HDA) will go a long way in assisting provinces and municipalities with the acquisition of appropriate land for the development of human settlements.

The agency was created to fast-track South Africa's housing delivery programme.

Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge said on Monday that to date, the HDA had received the land acquisition and assembly plans for six provinces and three metropolitan municipalities.

He was speaking at the Social Protection and Community Development Cluster Programme of Action (PoA) media briefing in Cape Town. This is the first report since the inception of the cluster under the new administration. This briefing provides an update on the implementation of the priorities outlined in the PoA.

The HDA is currently developing the Macro Coordination and Alignment Framework to ensure that existing and new human settlements developments are delivered in a coordinated and integrated manner by government departments and spheres of government.

Cape Town - Government today released the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) second quarter figures, which show that it is on track to achieve set targets.

According to the latest verified figures tabled, government has thus far created a total of 223,568 work opportunities through its Expanded Public Works Programme from the period 01 April to 31 August 2009.

Describing the latest figures as being on track in achieving set targets, Minister Doidge said the latest figures indicated a spirited increase in work opportunities created in EPWP compliant projects during the second quarter as compared to the 83,914 work opportunities created in the first quarter.

Doidge said the figures were a solid foundation to create 4.5 million work opportunities for poor and unemployed people in South Africa by 2014, as announced by President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address in June.

Zuma promised that government would not only create 500 000 job opportunities by December 2009, but a further four million by 2014.

By Siboniso Ntuli

Bulwer - A freak storm destroyed 178 homes, left 66 people injured and one dead in Nkwzela in the Ingwe Local Municipality near Bulwer.
"The storm hit at about 3.45pm on Friday afternoon. A number of people were injured by flying debris and were taken to local hospitals," said Mthokozisi Duze, head of Kwa-Zulu Natal's Provincial Disaster Management.

MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Nomsa Dube said the situation was very bad in the area. "Communities were destitute, and they don't have homes, food and clothing."

Dube said the provincial government would do everything in its power to help these people rebuild their lives after the storm. "But we as the government we need all the help we can get from other stakeholders and from the business people, to help those families that were left with nothing."

He appealed to the Non Government Organisations (NGOs), businesses to help with food and clothing for the storm victims.

"We are asking the businesses to adopt a family, with the aim of helping the particular family to rebuild their lives after the storm," said Dube.

On Sunday 1 November 2009, the new Council elected Mr Phill Mashabane as President, and Ms Lula Scott as Vice-President.The new Council forms a formidable team with a wealth of experience and diversity.

Cape Town - Over the next three years, government will focus on five key areas to grow the economy and transform South Africa into a safer, healthier, more skilled country that is able to create and sustain more jobs.

Despite the fact that expenditure on infrastructure such as roads and transport has risen sharply, the country has made little progress on many of the Millennium Development Goals.

Too many children cannot read or count, too many women die giving birth and too few people are reached by public employment programmes.

Government's key areas outlined in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement are: supporting job creation; enhancing education and skills; improving provision of health care; driving a strategy to assist rural areas and upping the fight against crime and corruption.

Government plans to continue investing in infrastructure over the next three years and to promote the access to basic services - such as water, sanitation and electricity - to expand public transport and to build more schools and hospitals.

Cape Town - Government plans to transform the economy by expanding growth and job creation, while developing a more effective public service, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Presenting his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament today, Gordhan said a sound fiscal position has allowed government to sustain public services and to increase spending on investment aimed at raising future growth.

A Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent is forecast for 2010, with a forecast growth of 3.2 percent in 2012.

There are signs that the economy is recovering, said the minister.

While the GDP is expected to decline by 1.9 percent for 2009, South Africa is expected to experience a growth in GDP in the last quarter of this year.

Consumer price inflation has fallen from a peak of 13.6 percent in August last year to 6.4 percent for the same period this year largely as a result of moderating food and oil prices and a stronger rand.