Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu handed 250 houses to new home owners in Olievenhoutbosch in Pretoria on Friday.
The 250 subsidised houses are part of the inclusionary housing plan, which sees low-cost houses being built in the same area as high-cost houses.
”Given the circumstances of the majority of our people, that as we know arise from the legacy of apartheid, it would be a crime to deny them the opportunity to have secure and decent homes,” Sisulu said
She commended banking giant Absa for working together with government in the project.
The banking group made land available for the development of the project and developed the bonded houses, while the City of Tshwane developed the low-cost houses.
Absa is aiming to invest R12-billion by 2008 with government, in the form of a public-private partnership.
Housing director general Itumeleng Kotsoane said on Thursday the backlog of housing currently stood at 2,4-million houses but that government was on target with its delivery process.
He said government builds about 250 000 houses a year.
”About 2,3-million houses have been built since 1994.” — Sapa