2016 Govan Mbeki Awards Winners Announced

The City of Cape Town, George and Breede Valley municipalities were among the big winners in the Western Cape Govan Mbeki Awards 2016 held on Friday, 23 September at Century City.

The Provincial Govan Mbeki Awards is an annual event celebrating excellence in every form of the human settlements delivery chain. Municipalities enter their various projects and compete for a spot amongst the province’s best housing developments.

The City of Cape Town scooped awards in four different categories: the Best Enhanced Peoples Housing Process Project; the Best Institutional Housing Project; the Best Community Residential Units; and the Best Social Housing Project. While Breede Valley Municipality won the Best Integrated Residential Development Programme award, George Municipality walked away with the Best Rural Housing Programme and the Best Farm Residence Housing Assistance Programme awards. Plettenberg Bay’s Bitou Municipality secured the award for the Best Informal Settlement Upgrade Programme, along with Oudtshoorn and Knysna municipalities as first and second runners’ up respectively.

The Best Integrated Residential Development Programme runners’ up awards were collected by Cape Agulhas Municipality, for its Struisbaai Housing Project, and Hessequa Municipality for its Kwanokuthula Housing Project.

In the 2015/2016 period, the Department set a target of 17 252 housing opportunities, which was exceeded with the delivery of 18 745 housing opportunities. This consists of housing units, serviced sites and other housing opportunities which include rectification and community residential upgrades. This ensured that the entire 2015/2016 Human Settlements Delivery Grant Budget allocation of R1 975 billion was spent.

The exceptional performance in both service delivery numbers and financial accountability was only possible through the contributions and efforts of municipalities, contractors, developers and other stakeholders in the human settlements delivery chain. It is these efforts that the Department is acknowledging through the 2016 Provincial Govan Mbeki Awards. Speaking at the event, Western Cape Human Settlements Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela said that “recognition of excellence encourages further excellence, and it is within this culture of meritocracy that service delivery to the citizens of the Western Cape is continually improved”.

“We congratulate all winners of the Western Cape Provincial Govan Mbeki Awards 2016 and wish them well in the National Govan Mbeki Awards” Madikizela added.

The Provincial winners will represent the Western Cape Province in the National Govan Mbeki Awards in November 2016.

The list of all winners is:

Best Integrated Residential Development Programme

• Rawsonville De Novo Project - Breede Valley – Winner
• Struisbaai Housing Project - Cape Agulhas – 1^st runner up
• Kwanokuthula Housing Project – Hessequa – 2^nd runner up

Best Informal Settlement Upgraded Programme

• Ukhana – Bitou – Winner
• Rosevalley Housing Project – Oudtshoorn - 1^st runner up
• Vision 2000 Dam Se Bos South – Knysna - 2^nd runner up

Best Enhanced People’s Housing Process Project

• Mfuleni Bardale Project - Cape Town – Winner
• Uniondale Housing Project – George – 1^st runner up
• Ocean View - Ocean View – 2^nd runner up

Best Institutional Housing Project

• Harmony Village - Cape Town – Winner

Best Rural Housing Programme

• Uniondale Housing Project – George – Winner
• ERF 304 Haarlem Farm Worker Housing Project – George 1^st runner up

Best Community Residential Units

• Langa CRU - Cape Town – Winner
• Hangberg CRU - Cape Town – 1^st runner up

Best Farm Residence Housing Assistance Programme

• ERF 304 Haarlem Farm Worker Housing project – George – Winner

Best Social Housing Project

• Scottsdene Project - Cape Town – Winner