Four million wait for houses while Ramaphosa opens Cornubia
The President used the eThekwini settlement's milestone to argue for building homes near jobs, and conceded the national housing register still carries nearly four million people.
Nearly four million people are still on the national housing needs register, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday, as he used a milestone event at the Cornubia Integrated Human Settlement Project in eThekwini to argue that South Africa must build homes closer to work, clinics, schools and transport.
Ramaphosa said government is working to transform the country’s housing model by developing integrated human settlements, and framed the approach as a reversal of apartheid-era spatial planning that pushed black communities to townships and settlements far from economic centres.
“We have sought to build not just houses, but human settlements. We have sought to build integrated neighbourhoods, where residents have what they need to live comfortable lives,” he said.
According to the account of his remarks, integrated settlements bring together homes, schools, clinics, shops, parks and transport infrastructure, and allow people from different income groups to live in the same neighbourhoods. The President said such developments cut the time and money working people spend commuting, and help build cohesive communities.
The numbers he cited cut both ways. Government has delivered more than five million housing opportunities since democracy, and census figures show the proportion of households in formal dwellings rose from 65% in 1996 to more than 88% in 2022. This year marks 30 years since the Constitution was adopted, which affirms everyone’s right to access adequate housing.
“Yet the need remains great,” Ramaphosa said, citing population growth and rapid urbanisation as factors driving demand.
He listed the new approaches government is pursuing: expanding affordable housing, revitalising commuter rail, releasing well-located public land for housing, and introducing a model that subsidises home ownership and rental in suitable areas while supporting people to build, buy or rent their own homes. He said government was working to unblock stalled housing projects so that people are not left waiting for homes that were promised.
Cornubia is the showcase. The development covers more than 1 300 hectares and includes Solomon Mahlangu Primary School, community retail facilities, sports facilities, a multi-purpose hall and a clinic, with provision for early childhood development and transport infrastructure. The wider project is expected to accommodate more than 110 000 people over the next 10 to 15 years, and its framework plan envisages further schools, clinics, libraries, community halls, places of worship and police stations.
Economic activity is already forming around it. Construction of Phase I of the Cornubia Business Park has created around 300 jobs, and the wider project is expected to create more than 2 000.
“eThekwini is a rising star in attracting investment into KwaZulu-Natal. And with investment comes new economic opportunity for our people,” Ramaphosa said.
The President called for faster implementation, saying construction problems and other delays needed to be resolved. “To get there, we need to work faster, better and smarter,” he said.
He also called for local participation in the development’s economic opportunities, in construction, maintenance and community facilities, and warned against corruption, extortion and patronage. “We are determined that this must be done through transparent processes. We will not allow corruption, extortion or patronage,” he said.
With local government elections scheduled for 4 November, Ramaphosa urged residents to vote and said municipalities should maintain infrastructure, provide basic services and stand firm against construction mafias.
“My message to incoming councillors is clear. Listen to communities and treat them as partners. Because it is through partnership that we make progress,” he said.
This report is based on SAnews (South African Government News Agency), the government’s own news service, which summarised the President’s remarks and the project details rather than publishing a full transcript or the underlying delivery data. The source is at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/president-ramaphosa-calls-housing-closer-jobs-and-services.
