BuaNews (Tshwane)
Luyanda Makapela
24 April 2008
Pretoria — Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has reassured South Africans that electricity supply shortages will not affect new residential property developments requiring less than 100KW and low-income housing projects.
Her assurance follows concerns raised by the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) last month that perceptions created after Eskom's announcement of a moratorium could negatively affect all future housing developments.
"The power supply challenges can not be allowed to affect housing delivery to South Africa's poor and government's commitment to improve the living conditions of its citizens," said Ms Sisulu on Wednesday.
At the time of the concerns, Minister Sisulu undertook to raise and resolve this matter with the relevant Cabinet colleagues.
Ms Sisulu met with Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica and Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin in an effort to iron out concerns raised by BASA.
"Minister Sisulu wants to again confirm that government is committed to ensure new property developments requiring supplies of less than 100KW or 100KVA and affordable housing projects receive the necessary electricity supplies," said the department spokesperson Marianne Merten on Wednesday.
She added: "Minister Sisulu further says any lingering doubts on this matter must now be laid to rest, particularly as Eskom already said it will not stop any developments."
Ms Merten said all those developments that have already applied and have quotations would be honoured.
As part of Government's efforts to deal with the power situation, the Department of Housing has joined a government task team to ensure new building regulations are in enacted to ensure energy-efficient housing.
Such criteria will also be incorporated into the standard regulations of the National Home Builders' Registration Council (NHBRC).
"The housing department will play its role to ensure individual households are part of the national energy saving drive," said Ms Merten.
Earlier this month, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica announced that government was doing everything in its power to manage the energy crisis while striving towards reasonable levels of electricity supply in both the long and short term.
Addressing delegates at the 10th annual African Power and Electricity Congress at the Sandton Convention Centre recently, Ms Sonjica said government had instituted among others, a Power Conservation Programme (PCP) intended to manage power rationing as earlier proposed by the department.
"To address the current situation, a number of policies and strategies have been developed and approved to ensure that we approach the value chain of electricity supply in an integrated and sustainable manner," the minister said.
To date, the Nuclear New Build programme and the Renewable Energy and Liquid fuels strategies have been developed and approved, said Ms Sonjica.
She said in order to speed up the implementation of the power conservation programme, her department was embarking on the development of necessary regulations under existing legislation in order to implement the department's legislative mandate.
"As a region and continent we will continue to call upon all our fellow governments and private sector to collaborate in managing the prosperity of the African continent," she said at the time.
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