MUSINA – The Municipal Manager of the Musina Municipality, Mr Abram Luruli, was recently appointed as president of the Institute for Housing of South Africa (IHSA), during the IHSA international conference in Cape Town.

The conference took place from October 3 until 6. The Minister of Housing, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, the MEC in the Western Cape, Mr Fransman and the Executive Mayor, Ms Nomaindia Mfeketo, attended.

Mr Luruli’s role as president of the IHSA will be to interact with the Minister of Housing and provincial MECs to discuss input on policies related to housing. He will serve as president for two years, but will remain as Municipal Manager of the Musina Municipality.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Luruli said that the housing needs in South Africa are immense, with the majority of people still living in poor townships, peripheries of cities, informal dwellings and rural areas.

“This brings us to the Two Economies as identified by our President of South Africa, honourable Mr Thabo Mbeki. What becomes critical is the role that we are supposed to play as the Institute, in adding value to efforts in dealing with the second economy.

“These and many other challenges require of us to continuously reflect and sharpen our instruments to assist the government, so that as the government houses the nation, we are able to say that as the Institute we have made our inputs, and our voice has been heard,” Mr Luruli said.