Lindikhaya Mpambani - South Africa: Acting housing CEO paid R4m
government housing company has paid its acting chief executive officer a R2.1-million bonus on top of his R2.2m salary.Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale revealed in a written parliamentary reply that Servcon Housing Solutions had, during the 2008/09 financial year, paid out more than R1m in a performance bonus and R1.1m as a retention bonus to acting CEO, Lindikhaya Mpambani. Servcon is a Human Settlements Department entity that deals with the registration and verification of state property.The Daily News was unable to reach Mpambani for comment.Sexwale said all Servcon employees had received a retention bonus during the 2008/09 financial year, but all the payments were approved by the company's board remuneration committee.
The minister did not say how much the other employees received. In May, former public works director-general, Manye Moroka, was grilled by Parliament's spending watchdog over a potential conflict of interest after he awarded Servcon and another state company, Intersite, a tender of R223m while he was a board member of Servcon.Moroka disagreed with MPs that there was a conflict of interest in awarding the contract.The standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) also questioned the R215 000 bonus Moroka got from Servcon even though he had left the company and started working as public works director-general.Moroka said he had invested the bonus. After joining the government, Moroka continued to serve on Servcon's board and chaired its remuneration committee.He also told MPs that he had recommended to then public works minister, Thoko Didiza, and provincial MECs that Servcon be given the tender. Former public works director-general, Sam Vukela, told Scopa that the department had paid Servcon R7.6m and Intersite R2.8m for work done so far. The two companies were given contracts to audit all state assets across the country. Moroka quit as public works director-general late last year after fighting with Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge over the R215 000 bonus. Doidge accused Moroka of awarding the contract without following tender procedures. Moroka admitted to Scopa that there was no budget for the R223m tender.
Keywords - Lindikhaya Mpambani, Servcon, Tokyo Sexwale, housing, bonus, defunked, housing, South Africa, government owned enterprise
Ghana Ministers Accused of Misconduct in Housing Deal
Ghana Ministers Accused of Misconduct in Housing Deal General News 2010-07-17
Two cabinet ministers of Ghana are under pressure to resign as they face misconduct accusations in a housing deal between the government and a South Korean-owned firm.The agreement of the deal was suspended indefinitely by the parliament on Thursday on grounds that certain portions of the draft were missing.The ministers involved are Alban Bagbin, minister of water resources, works and housing, and Kwabena Duffuor, minister of finance and economic planning, who worked on the deal before its submission to the parliament.The deal, worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, was negotiated between the government and the STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Limited, and involves construction of affordable housing units in the next five years.Spio Garbrah, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, told a local radio on Friday that the suspension proved the officials in charge of the agreement had done a rather "poor job."Edward Ennin, an opposition lawmaker, called for immediate resignation of the two ministers, saying that they had failed to heed advice from some lawmakers that the STX housing deal deserved proper scrutiny before it was brought before the parliament for approval.The Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana's anti-corruption agency, also called for the dismissal of the ministers whose inaction, it says, led to the suspension of the debate over the deal in the parliament
Keywords - Ghana, Minister, Housing, misconduct, billion dollars, stx, concrete homes, human settlement, Rural Development
Two cabinet ministers of Ghana are under pressure to resign as they face misconduct accusations in a housing deal between the government and a South Korean-owned firm.The agreement of the deal was suspended indefinitely by the parliament on Thursday on grounds that certain portions of the draft were missing.The ministers involved are Alban Bagbin, minister of water resources, works and housing, and Kwabena Duffuor, minister of finance and economic planning, who worked on the deal before its submission to the parliament.The deal, worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, was negotiated between the government and the STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Limited, and involves construction of affordable housing units in the next five years.Spio Garbrah, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, told a local radio on Friday that the suspension proved the officials in charge of the agreement had done a rather "poor job."Edward Ennin, an opposition lawmaker, called for immediate resignation of the two ministers, saying that they had failed to heed advice from some lawmakers that the STX housing deal deserved proper scrutiny before it was brought before the parliament for approval.The Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana's anti-corruption agency, also called for the dismissal of the ministers whose inaction, it says, led to the suspension of the debate over the deal in the parliament
Keywords - Ghana, Minister, Housing, misconduct, billion dollars, stx, concrete homes, human settlement, Rural Development
New designs for low-cost housing
New designs for low-cost housing - SouthAfrica.info
New designs for low-cost housing Nozipho Dlamini
South Africa's affordable housing market is looking to alternative building materials in a competition designed to foster innovation in the industry.
Seventeen houses have been built in Soshanguve Block XX, near Pretoria, using traditional and modern building technologies other than brick and mortar.
The 17 designs - using materials such as insulated precast concrete, brick and steel, and water-based resin - are all entrants in the National Housing Innovation Competition.
The competition is being run by the Housing Technology Innovation Hub, a joint venture sponsored by the National Homebuilders Registration Council (NHBRC) and Absa Bank.
Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has tasked the NHBRC with building 1 800 houses using new designs, as part of the government's Breaking New Ground social housing programme.
Visiting the Soshanguve site accompanied by provincial housing ministers on Friday, Sisulu said they were "overwhelmed by the beauty, creativity and good quality" of the houses. Sisulu said the provincial ministers had a "great" chance to view the houses and decide which style they could introduce in their provinces.
"What we have seen here today is a typical example of integrated income dwellings that government is always talking about," she said.
NHBRC chief executive officer said the competition was a response to the minister's call to identify new housing products.
"These products have already been judged on all technical aspects, it is now the responsibility of the community to give their opinion of the products," he said.
Sisulu is expected to announce the winner soon.
Keywords - moladi, lightweight concrete home, house, human settlement, ABSA innovative housing, competition, winner, nhbrc, shack, rdp, developer, builder
New designs for low-cost housing Nozipho Dlamini
South Africa's affordable housing market is looking to alternative building materials in a competition designed to foster innovation in the industry.
Seventeen houses have been built in Soshanguve Block XX, near Pretoria, using traditional and modern building technologies other than brick and mortar.
The 17 designs - using materials such as insulated precast concrete, brick and steel, and water-based resin - are all entrants in the National Housing Innovation Competition.
The competition is being run by the Housing Technology Innovation Hub, a joint venture sponsored by the National Homebuilders Registration Council (NHBRC) and Absa Bank.
Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has tasked the NHBRC with building 1 800 houses using new designs, as part of the government's Breaking New Ground social housing programme.
Visiting the Soshanguve site accompanied by provincial housing ministers on Friday, Sisulu said they were "overwhelmed by the beauty, creativity and good quality" of the houses. Sisulu said the provincial ministers had a "great" chance to view the houses and decide which style they could introduce in their provinces.
"What we have seen here today is a typical example of integrated income dwellings that government is always talking about," she said.
NHBRC chief executive officer said the competition was a response to the minister's call to identify new housing products.
"These products have already been judged on all technical aspects, it is now the responsibility of the community to give their opinion of the products," he said.
Sisulu is expected to announce the winner soon.
Keywords - moladi, lightweight concrete home, house, human settlement, ABSA innovative housing, competition, winner, nhbrc, shack, rdp, developer, builder
Houses of horror - RDP housing corruption
Houses of horror - RDP housing projects corruption disappearance of millions intended for housing for the poor.
HIGH-RANKING Sundays River Municipality officials have been implicated in an extensive web of alleged corruption involving the disappearance of millions of rands intended for housing for the poor.
Allegations of gross mismanagement and fraud relating to four key RDP housing projects – for which more than R100-million was set aside in the once-thriving municipality – have been laid bare after a Herald investigation that was triggered by a government-initiated forensic audit in the newspaper’s possession.
So crippling has the alleged corruption been that the municipality’s accounts have been frozen.
The provincial administration has revoked its responsibility for any projects involving large sums of money, such as housing delivery, while it is placed under administration until it becomes functional again.
Government sources say arrests are imminent.
Tens of millions of rands have been paid to builders who were never authorised to become contractors on the RDP developments and who failed to complete the projects, while key officials have been accused of entering into “corrupt relationships” with councillors and their relatives by awarding them lucrative RDP home building contracts.
Top officials and councillors have also been accused of contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act by allegedly profiting from municipal building tenders – which they are accused of influencing for their own benefit – by awarding them to their families or companies they have shares in.
They, in turn, upped and left after completing only half the work.
Authorities are also trying to recoup up to R8-million which “vanished” from municipal coffers. The Herald has learnt the money was paid to contractors – who were never given the official municipal approval to work on the various developments – from a municipal account accessed by someone using the password of a former chief financial officer.
The projects at the centre of the cash scandal include those in Enon and Bersheba and Moses Mabhida in Kirkwood to which the Housing Department respectively granted R26.5-million to build 450 homes, and R45.7- million for 750 houses.
In Addo, a project in Nomathamsanqa township was granted R18-million for 300 RDP houses, while a stone’s throw away in Noluthando, R28-million was released for the building of 801 homes.
The projects, began between 2006 and mid-2008, should have been completed by now, but have ground to a halt. The Herald found hundreds of half-built homes throughout all four projects.
The figures are contained in a continuing forensic audit by the Housing Department, a report on which is in The Herald’s possession.
An inspection by the newspaper of the four housing projects revealed none were complete, with several hundred homes either half-built or mere shells with no piping or internal finishes such as ceilings. In many cases, houses lucky enough to have roofs did not have water or electricity or connection to sewerage pipes, effectively forcing the occupants to be reliant on a bucket system.
At least four councillors, two top municipal officials and several private contractors – some of whom are family of the councillors – are being probed in forensic investigations by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), known as the Cobras, as well as the Housing and provincial Local Government and Traditional Affairs departments.
The Herald has learnt that the East London-based SIU – which two weeks ago seized and copied the hard drives of the municipality’s computers as part of its probe – has passed on its findings to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi confirmed yesterday that the police unit was looking into three investigations regarding the municipality.
Former acting municipal manager Lungiswa Roji has also been suspended and is understood this week to be facing a disciplinary hearing for allegedly turning a blind eye to major irregularities by councillors and officials implicated in the scandal.
In March, Local Government MEC Sicelo Gqobana placed the Sundays River Municipality under administration and sent in Vuyo Zitumani as acting municipal manager to solve all the problems which had crippled delivery in the area.
Zitumani acted in a similar capacity in 2007 when she was made acting municipal manager of Mthatha for nine months.
Sources close to the businesswoman said she was shocked at the level of corruption within the municipality when she arrived four months ago.
“When it comes to officials (found to be corrupt), we will be hard on them,” said Zitumani, who yesterday refused to disclose the names of those implicated in the various probes.
“There are serious allegations which the SIU has reported to the MEC,” she said.
“We want to wrap up the investigations as soon as possible. The communities want to see action and are very eager to see an outcome.”
Zitumani said the area’s housing development status – allowing the municipality to oversee developments – had been revoked and was now in the hands of the provincial department.
She has also cancelled five housing tenders which were awarded irregularly.
Keywords - RDP, housing, housing for the poor, housing tenders, Municipality officials, corruption, millions, corrupt, builders, contractors, RDP developments, Top officials, councillors, human settlements, Housing Department, Local Government, MEC Sicelo Gqobana
HIGH-RANKING Sundays River Municipality officials have been implicated in an extensive web of alleged corruption involving the disappearance of millions of rands intended for housing for the poor.
Allegations of gross mismanagement and fraud relating to four key RDP housing projects – for which more than R100-million was set aside in the once-thriving municipality – have been laid bare after a Herald investigation that was triggered by a government-initiated forensic audit in the newspaper’s possession.
So crippling has the alleged corruption been that the municipality’s accounts have been frozen.
The provincial administration has revoked its responsibility for any projects involving large sums of money, such as housing delivery, while it is placed under administration until it becomes functional again.
Government sources say arrests are imminent.
Tens of millions of rands have been paid to builders who were never authorised to become contractors on the RDP developments and who failed to complete the projects, while key officials have been accused of entering into “corrupt relationships” with councillors and their relatives by awarding them lucrative RDP home building contracts.
Top officials and councillors have also been accused of contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act by allegedly profiting from municipal building tenders – which they are accused of influencing for their own benefit – by awarding them to their families or companies they have shares in.
They, in turn, upped and left after completing only half the work.
Authorities are also trying to recoup up to R8-million which “vanished” from municipal coffers. The Herald has learnt the money was paid to contractors – who were never given the official municipal approval to work on the various developments – from a municipal account accessed by someone using the password of a former chief financial officer.
The projects at the centre of the cash scandal include those in Enon and Bersheba and Moses Mabhida in Kirkwood to which the Housing Department respectively granted R26.5-million to build 450 homes, and R45.7- million for 750 houses.
In Addo, a project in Nomathamsanqa township was granted R18-million for 300 RDP houses, while a stone’s throw away in Noluthando, R28-million was released for the building of 801 homes.
The projects, began between 2006 and mid-2008, should have been completed by now, but have ground to a halt. The Herald found hundreds of half-built homes throughout all four projects.
The figures are contained in a continuing forensic audit by the Housing Department, a report on which is in The Herald’s possession.
An inspection by the newspaper of the four housing projects revealed none were complete, with several hundred homes either half-built or mere shells with no piping or internal finishes such as ceilings. In many cases, houses lucky enough to have roofs did not have water or electricity or connection to sewerage pipes, effectively forcing the occupants to be reliant on a bucket system.
At least four councillors, two top municipal officials and several private contractors – some of whom are family of the councillors – are being probed in forensic investigations by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), known as the Cobras, as well as the Housing and provincial Local Government and Traditional Affairs departments.
The Herald has learnt that the East London-based SIU – which two weeks ago seized and copied the hard drives of the municipality’s computers as part of its probe – has passed on its findings to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi confirmed yesterday that the police unit was looking into three investigations regarding the municipality.
Former acting municipal manager Lungiswa Roji has also been suspended and is understood this week to be facing a disciplinary hearing for allegedly turning a blind eye to major irregularities by councillors and officials implicated in the scandal.
In March, Local Government MEC Sicelo Gqobana placed the Sundays River Municipality under administration and sent in Vuyo Zitumani as acting municipal manager to solve all the problems which had crippled delivery in the area.
Zitumani acted in a similar capacity in 2007 when she was made acting municipal manager of Mthatha for nine months.
Sources close to the businesswoman said she was shocked at the level of corruption within the municipality when she arrived four months ago.
“When it comes to officials (found to be corrupt), we will be hard on them,” said Zitumani, who yesterday refused to disclose the names of those implicated in the various probes.
“There are serious allegations which the SIU has reported to the MEC,” she said.
“We want to wrap up the investigations as soon as possible. The communities want to see action and are very eager to see an outcome.”
Zitumani said the area’s housing development status – allowing the municipality to oversee developments – had been revoked and was now in the hands of the provincial department.
She has also cancelled five housing tenders which were awarded irregularly.
Keywords - RDP, housing, housing for the poor, housing tenders, Municipality officials, corruption, millions, corrupt, builders, contractors, RDP developments, Top officials, councillors, human settlements, Housing Department, Local Government, MEC Sicelo Gqobana
classroom construction | classroom construction building | Building Systems
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http://www.moladi.net/
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| Classroom construction system |
http://www.moladi.net/
Commonwealth Business Council - moladi Building New Partnerships for Sustainable Development
Commonwealth Business Council - moladi Building New Partnerships for Sustainable Development
moladi honored to have been invited by the Commonwealth Business Council to speak in Abuja, Nigeria at the upcoming “Nigeria International Investors Forum” from 15th – 17th September 2010 - “There is a strong demand in all segments of the housing sector in Nigeria, but this session will particularly focus on the provision of affordable housing, where there is perhaps the greatest urgency and opportunity for international investment” -
www.moladi.net
Keywords- moladi, Commonwealth Business Council, moladi Building New Partnerships for Sustainable Development, nigeria, affordable housing, investment, hennie botes
moladi honored to have been invited by the Commonwealth Business Council to speak in Abuja, Nigeria at the upcoming “Nigeria International Investors Forum” from 15th – 17th September 2010 - “There is a strong demand in all segments of the housing sector in Nigeria, but this session will particularly focus on the provision of affordable housing, where there is perhaps the greatest urgency and opportunity for international investment” -
www.moladi.net
Keywords- moladi, Commonwealth Business Council, moladi Building New Partnerships for Sustainable Development, nigeria, affordable housing, investment, hennie botes
moladi supports 1GOAL: Education for All campaign
moladi supports 1GOAL: Education for All campaign: "moladi supports 1GOAL: Education for All campaign"
Moladi is supporting the new 1GOAL: Education for All campaign, aimed at making the right to receive an education a reality for every child.
The global campaign is calling on world leaders to provide education for 72 million children worldwide by 2015.
1GOAL is seizing the power of football to ensure that education for all is a lasting impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa.
Footballers, fans and FIFA are behind 1GOAL, along with education champions, charities and campaigners. Moladi is supporting the campaign through its partnership with the Global Campaign for Education – with development agencies around the world united in their determination to achieve universal education.
Poverty reduction
Of the eight Millennium Development Goals agreed by world leaders in 2000, two involve ending poverty through education, including ensuring that all children complete primary schooling by 2015.
While some progress has been made in this area – an extra 33 million children are now going to school, thanks to initiatives such as the abolition of school fees in many countries – the goal will not be reached without increased action now.
"Not only does it open up economic opportunity and contribute to poverty reduction, it literally does save lives. Children of mothers who receive an education are twice as likely to live beyond age five."
Keywords: moladi, supports 1GOAL: Education for All campaign, classrooms, schools, aid, shelter, children, poverty, building, construction, rural, FIFA, world Cup, soccer, football
Moladi is supporting the new 1GOAL: Education for All campaign, aimed at making the right to receive an education a reality for every child.
The global campaign is calling on world leaders to provide education for 72 million children worldwide by 2015.
1GOAL is seizing the power of football to ensure that education for all is a lasting impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa.
Footballers, fans and FIFA are behind 1GOAL, along with education champions, charities and campaigners. Moladi is supporting the campaign through its partnership with the Global Campaign for Education – with development agencies around the world united in their determination to achieve universal education.
Poverty reduction
Of the eight Millennium Development Goals agreed by world leaders in 2000, two involve ending poverty through education, including ensuring that all children complete primary schooling by 2015.
While some progress has been made in this area – an extra 33 million children are now going to school, thanks to initiatives such as the abolition of school fees in many countries – the goal will not be reached without increased action now.
"Not only does it open up economic opportunity and contribute to poverty reduction, it literally does save lives. Children of mothers who receive an education are twice as likely to live beyond age five."
Keywords: moladi, supports 1GOAL: Education for All campaign, classrooms, schools, aid, shelter, children, poverty, building, construction, rural, FIFA, world Cup, soccer, football
Low cost housing for whites
Low cost housing for whites: "Low cost housing for whites"
East London - White families living in shacks and caravan parks in the East London area are not excluded from government's housing programmes because of their race, the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements said on SaturdaySpokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said a number of families who were living below the poverty line had complained to the government because they thought that they did not qualify for housing."Some white families are living in shacks close to the beach and in caravan parks beside dumps," Sicwetsha said."They think they do not qualify for housing programmes, but white families living below the poverty line are not excluded from government housing programmes because of their race."The department has an inclusive housing policy and programmes for all races who qualify for different categories on housing programmes."Sicwetsha said the department had different categories geared towards providing houses to people in the province.Such programmes include low cost housing scheme for people with a monthly income of less than R3 500 per month.Those who earn above this amount qualify for other schemes such as social rental housing scheme which accommodates people with a monthly income of between R3 500 and R7 500 per month."In an effort to close this gap the department has granted funding to social housing companies to build rental housing units in Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City, earmarked to provide decent affordable rental homes to hundreds of low and middle income workers." President Jacob Zuma recently handed over housing units to Emerald Sky, a social housing project that accommodates all races who meet the required income of between R3 500 and R7 500 a month.Sicwetsha said three other projects were under construction in the Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City Municipalities.The one in Buffalo City was nearing completion."White families who qualify on these programmes must contact the responsible social housing companies for applications and those who earn less than R3 500 per month must apply through their local municipalities for low cost housing assistance," Sicwetsha said.
Keywords - Tokyo Sexwale, President Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela Metro, moladi, low cost housing, poor, housing program, race, poverty, social housing, rental housing
East London - White families living in shacks and caravan parks in the East London area are not excluded from government's housing programmes because of their race, the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements said on SaturdaySpokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said a number of families who were living below the poverty line had complained to the government because they thought that they did not qualify for housing."Some white families are living in shacks close to the beach and in caravan parks beside dumps," Sicwetsha said."They think they do not qualify for housing programmes, but white families living below the poverty line are not excluded from government housing programmes because of their race."The department has an inclusive housing policy and programmes for all races who qualify for different categories on housing programmes."Sicwetsha said the department had different categories geared towards providing houses to people in the province.Such programmes include low cost housing scheme for people with a monthly income of less than R3 500 per month.Those who earn above this amount qualify for other schemes such as social rental housing scheme which accommodates people with a monthly income of between R3 500 and R7 500 per month."In an effort to close this gap the department has granted funding to social housing companies to build rental housing units in Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City, earmarked to provide decent affordable rental homes to hundreds of low and middle income workers." President Jacob Zuma recently handed over housing units to Emerald Sky, a social housing project that accommodates all races who meet the required income of between R3 500 and R7 500 a month.Sicwetsha said three other projects were under construction in the Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City Municipalities.The one in Buffalo City was nearing completion."White families who qualify on these programmes must contact the responsible social housing companies for applications and those who earn less than R3 500 per month must apply through their local municipalities for low cost housing assistance," Sicwetsha said.
Keywords - Tokyo Sexwale, President Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela Metro, moladi, low cost housing, poor, housing program, race, poverty, social housing, rental housing
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