President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that traditional construction methods may no longer meet the needs of a growing population facing climate change and rising urban pressures.
He said this when at the Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs) Summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday. He further said that government has provided at least 5 million housing opportunities since 1994. However, there is more that should be done to the growing population, he added.
Accordingly, there is an estimated 2.5 million families that are still on the waiting list.
Technological housing innovations
“In the face of this, accelerating technological housing innovations is a social imperative and an economic necessity. If we continue to build in the old way — on the same land, with the same vulnerabilities, using the same methods — then we are not solving the housing challenge. We must make a change. We must embrace the tide of technological progress to future-proof human settlements,” said Ramaphosa.
He also said that by 2050, nearly eight out of every 10 South Africans are expected to live in cities. And he added that many live in informal settlements on land vulnerable to floods, drought, heat stress, and environmental degradation.
Ramaphosa also pointed out that inadequate supply, limited land availability, rising construction costs, and project delays are key contributors to housing problems in the country.
Various contributing factors
“These pressures push prices and rents upward for the middle class, while worsening conditions for the impoverished. This results… in homelessness and expanding informal settlements. Having shelter that provides privacy, safety and freedom is inextricably bound to human dignity. Housing is not merely about shelter. It is about belonging, security and opportunity,” he said.
Ramaphosa also said that innovative building technologies offer a strategic opportunity.
“When appropriately regulated, financed, socially accepted and locally embedded, innovative building technologies allow us to build faster and at scale. They enable us to reduce carbon emissions and water use. To improve energy efficiency, and enhance durability and quality,” he said.
