Turning Today’s Vision into Tomorrow’s Reality
This month, I would like to reflect on the recent Joint Post Policy Speech, Media and Stakeholder Engagement, as we advance the policy priorities set out in the 2025/26 Budget and Policy Speech. Our shared vision is to realise sustainable, integrated human settlements across the Eastern Cape and ensure the effective delivery and coordination of public infrastructure.
A central theme emerging from both the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Human Settlements policy addresses, is the critical link between the delivery of public and social infrastructure and its impact on economic growth. These elements are not isolated, they are foundational to inclusive development.
In shaping and delivering our policy agenda, we drew strategic alignment from the 2025 State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The President emphasized infrastructure as the cornerstone of an inclusive and thriving economy. He stated:
“To achieve higher levels of economic growth, we are undertaking massive investment in new infrastructure while upgrading and maintaining the infrastructure we have.”
This clear and compelling direction informs our work. Infrastructure is more than physical structures, it is about laying the foundation for economic opportunity, social justice, and restoring human dignity. It means building roads that connect communities, schools that educate our youth, hospitals that save lives, and integrated human settlements that foster inclusion and resilience.
We remain committed to transforming the Eastern Cape through sustainable, inclusive, and forward-looking human settlements. Housing, for us, is not just about bricks and mortar, it is a fundamental instrument in restoring dignity, especially for communities still grappling with the legacy of historical injustices. A home provides security, stability, and a foundation for a better life.
This is particularly urgent for vulnerable groups such as child-headed households, where children carry adult responsibilities following the loss of caregivers. For them, access to safe, dignified housing is more than developmental, it is lifesaving. It is a path toward hope and opportunity.
We continue to face entrenched socio-economic challenges – unemployment, inequality, and poverty which have intensified the need for decent shelter and infrastructure. As such, it is imperative that our programmes are high-impact, targeted, and aligned with Vision 2030.
In the 2025/26 Financial Year, we are focused on two strategic imperatives: consolidating the gains of 2024/25, and accelerating delivery to meet the goals of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and Provincial MTSF (PMTSF). This demands strategic foresight, disciplined implementation, and unwavering dedication from every level of the Department and its stakeholders.
Our programmes must deliver more than promises, they must drive inclusive growth, sustainable development, and tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Placing vulnerable and destitute groups at the centre of our housing delivery remains a core principle. We are committed to delivering Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses to those most in need. This includes the elderly, child-headed households, persons with disabilities, military veterans, and communities affected by natural disasters. We approach this work with deep awareness of the diverse and complex realities of our people.
Looking ahead, the Department is embracing bold and transformative initiatives to reshape the provincial human settlements landscape. This includes pioneering mega mixed-use and gap-market housing developments – a landmark investment in our province’s future.
I reaffirm our Ministry’s steadfast commitment to building an Eastern Cape rooted in sustainable infrastructure, economic inclusion, and social transformation.
Your efforts are instrumental in turning today’s vision into tomorrow’s reality. Together, let us continue building a province defined by progress, dignity, and inclusion the Eastern Cape we all envision, as we journey toward Vision 2030.