July 2009

By Vuyolwethu Sangotsha

Bhisho - Hundreds of people living in rural parts of the Eastern Cape have been given information on housing programmes available by the Department of Human Settlements through a pilot project.

Through the pilot Housing on Wheels Project, the department raises public awareness on the products and services available in various areas of the province.

MEC Nombulelo Mabandla launched the pilot project last month to enable the department to check the status of their housing applications among other things.

Spokesperson from the provincial department, Lwandile Sicwetsha said the roadshow was part of the provincial EXCO (Executive Council) outreach which aims to improve service delivery.

Through the project, he said, Housing Education Dramas have been introduced to educate people about the role of the municipalities and the department in the housing delivery process.

Other information disseminated through the drama play include available housing services, criteria to qualify for housing subsidy and reporting of defective houses on time, including cracks period for reporting defectives.

By Edwin Tshivhidzo and Proffesor Ndawonde

Pretoria - Deputy Minister of Public Works, Hendrietta Bogane-Zulu, says government will intervene if the need arises in negotiations to end the strike in the construction industry.

"Should there be a need, we will intervene to find a solution," said the minister, speaking on Wednesday at the launch of National Construction Week in Pretoria.

Ms Bogane-Zulu said she hoped that there would be a breakthrough soon in negotiations between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the employer body represented by the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec),

Striking construction workers turned out in numbers on Wednesday at some of the 2010 World Cup stadia, including Moses Mabida Stadium in Durban and Soccer City in Johannesburg.

The union had rejected the 10.4 percent offer made by Safcec, saying that it would stick to its 13 percent wage increase demand.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Construction Industry Development Board, Ronnie Khoza, said he would be monitoring the situation and should there be a need, they would also intervene.

By Bongekile Mhlanga

Malalane - Partners are being sought to develop the first-ever hotel for the Kruger National Park.

The hotel, which was initially set to be built inside the park's boundaries, will now be built near Malalane.

South African National Parks (SANParks) wants to enter into a public private partnership to build the hotel.

“SANParks is looking to generate money for itself, to alleviate poverty through job creation for the communities around the Malalane entrance gate, develop the community, and promote tourism, biodiversity protection and conservation,” said SANParks spokesperson Ronald Thakhuli.

The hotel was to be situated at the confluence of the Matjulu and Crocodile rivers, near the entrance gate.

“There has been opposition to building the hotel inside the park and we are still conducting research to find a suitable location for it,” added Mr Thakhuli.

He said a hotel in Malalane burnt down in 2008, prompting SANParks to look into building its own hotel in the area.

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