The Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, together with his MECs for Local Government and Housing, had re-affirmed their commitment to delivery proper shelter for the people in the country.

This was done in the form of a signing of memorandum of commitment between Sexwale and his MECs during a function held in Polokwane, Limpopo, last Friday. The MECs from Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo attended the signing ceremony.

The ceremony coincided with the celebration of international toilet day.

“The signing ceremony was a clear indication that all of us, from my office as the minister of Human Settlement, and all the MECs, are committed to realizing the hopes of the people to have shelter. The most important thing for our people is to have food, clothes and shelter, but we want to make sure that these shelters are of good standard," Sexwale said. He added that there were still many people who did not have toilets in their homes.

According to the department’s statistics, there are 2 700 informal settlements in the country which are located close to metropolitan areas, with fairly easy access to basic services. “It is therefore the view of the department that these should be upgraded to improve the quality of the lives of residents."

Sexwale said his department and other departments he was partnering with wanted to make sure that the homes provided to people were closer to work, schools and other amenities. “The partnership was not only formed as a result of the commitment of our department but that of Government to improve the lives of all South Africans and further commitment to the ‘together we can do more’ motto,” said Sexwale.