Planact participated at the IBT summit that was hosted by the National Department of Human Settlements, in partnership with National Home Builders Registration Council, Community Schemes Ombud Services, Housing Development Agency, Social Housing Regulatory Authority, Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority and National Housing Finance Corporation Soc LTD.
The summit aligned closely with Planact’s ongoing work in small-scale rental housing, the Asivikelane initiative, and the MICE RIoT Project. Key discussions reflected challenges commonly faced by developers and contractors, particularly limited access to finance and complex municipal approval processes, as well as the role that Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs) can play in addressing these barriers. These issues directly align with the objectives of the small-scale rental housing project.
Furthermore, the summit highlighted the impacts of climate change on human settlements, which is strongly aligned with the focus of the MICE RioT Project. The innovations and solutions showcased by exhibitors also encouraged critical reflection on sanitation challenges in informal settlements, directly informing and supporting the work undertaken through the Asivikelane project.
This summit was an endeavour to accelerate the adoption of innovative building technologies in South Africa as one of the ways of facilitating the delivery of housing supply and advancing the agenda of creating climate resilient and habitable sustainable human settlements. The Minister of Human Settlement Thembi Simelane and the Deputy Minister Tandi Mahambehlala brought together the President, Cabinet Ministers and senior officials, Provincial MECs and municipalities, industry, financiers, development banks, insurers, investors, researchers, universities, innovators, civil society organisations, communities and international partners and diplomatic missions.
The IBT summit had robust and informative panel discussions on:
- Challenges facing the implementation of IBTs and intervening mechanisms in South Africa
- Barriers associated with IBTs and applied measures and interventions
- Cutting-edge research on sustainable building technologies
- Empowerment initiatives to support small, youth and women-empowered enterprises
- Local and International Insights- leveraging IBTs for Disaster Relief and Associated Benefits
- Supporting and funding the implementation of IBTs from a local and international perspective
The Minister of Human Settlements highlighted that the world is evolving and housing demand is constantly increasing, so to address the shortfall of the housing supply, there is a call for the use of innovative ways to build. Different stakeholders signed the social compact, which marks the collective commitment to move IBTs from the margins of pilots and demonstrations into the mainstream of South Africa’s human settlement system.