The President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, officially handed over 250 RDP houses to residents of Balanganani village in the Davhana area of the Makhado Municipality on Sunday.

President Zuma handed one of the houses to a 58-year-old former farm worker, Ms Emily Murema, who has been living in a mud rondavel. “I am very grateful to see that the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) is changing the lives of millions of poor people who cannot afford to build their own houses, due to poverty,” he said.

He added that Limpopo was ahead of other provinces in delivering houses and appealed to the provincial government to keep up the good work. President Zuma acknowledged that RDP houses were restoring dignity and joy to millions of people in the country. “Apart from the houses, I am still going to continue to deliver as promised. I also want to take this opportunity once more to thank all the people of Limpopo for their support and contribution during the recent national and provincial election. The African National Congress belongs to the people of Limpopo,” he said.

It was also outlined during the event that a R43,3 million contract for 500 new units was awarded to Ace of Hearts Developers to build houses in the Makhado Municipality.

The Chief of the Davhana area, Khosi Vho-David Davhana, told President Zuma that his people, like any other people in South Africa, were also entitled to running water, electricity and houses. He appealed to the government to build a school and other infrastructure and to kick-start job-creation projects in the area. “The infrastructure of the buildings at Balanganani Primary school is old and dilapidated. We also need a clinic in this village. Of course I do appreciate the houses that have been built for my people, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done here,” said Davhana.

Zuma accepted the request as a guideline from the community as to what their priorities were and said this would help the government to draw up its service delivery plan. He then proceeded to Giyani, where he launched an electricity project. Though several houses around the province were left incomplete by contractors, Zuma praised the province for its provision of housing.

According to the spokesperson for the Department of Housing in Limpopo, Clysen Monyela, out of the 500 units that were supposed to be built in Makhado, only 250 units had been completed.

“Three thousand people will benefit from this project. The total number of previous projects completed in the Makhado Municipality is 28, with 7 364 units being built at a cost of R172 674 291,” said Monyela.

Zuma praised the Limpopo Department of Housing for the good work and also for the fact that it has won the 2008 National Govan Mbeki Award for being the best provincial housing department in the country. “Since 1994, government has built more than 2.7 million homes across the country. Limpopo´s contribution is more than 300 000. This means that more than 1.2 million people live in homes built by government in this province,” said President Zuma.