Media Alert: Minister Madikizela to Attend Clicks for Bricks Housing Handover

Western Cape Human Settlements Minister, Bonginkosi Madikizela, will attend and deliver the keynote address at the handover of the Clicks for Bricks house in Mfuleni on Friday. The Clicks for Bricks project is a result of a partnership between Habitat for Humanity South Africa (HFHSA) and Property24.com.

Minister Madikizela has welcomed Property24.com and HFHSA's contribution to providing housing in South Africa. The Clicks for Bricks challenge was launched in April 2011 by the real estate search engine and non-profit organisation to build a home with the help of the Property24.com Facebook community.

For every "like" that Property24.com received on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/property24, it pledged to donate R5 towards the R91 000 cost of building a home. The goal was to achieve 18 200 likes, donate R91 000 to Habitat for Humanity South Africa and then invite members of the page to be part of the building team that constructs the home.

The house will be handed over to Ms Ntombizodwa "Zodwa" Regina. Zodwa is a single mother with one daughter, Lutoni, who is nine years old, and is a domestic worker in Belville where she has been working for the same family for eight years. Originally from Khayelitsha, she's been living in Mfuleni for five years and has never lived in a real house.

Beneficiary Selection Process:

"The unique feature of HFHSA is that we are invited to partner with community groups to help them meet a housing need that they have identified," said Adrienne Burke, Habitat for Humanity SA's National Marketing and Communications Officer. "Beneficiaries are selected based on their financial need and their willingness to partner with the community and HFHSA. In addition, a lengthy education and training process begins which is crucial to the development of the homeowners."

HFHSA takes beneficiaries through a series of workshops covering areas such as budgeting, home maintenance and financial planning for the future which includes health and succession planning.

It is also a requirement that all beneficiaries contribute 60 hours of "sweat equity" - physically working on other homeowners' houses - before qualifying for their own house. "Their sweat is in the walls of the homes whether they live there or not," said Burke.