Dept hosts Govan Mbeki Awards in city

THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) hosted the provincial Govan Mbeki Awards in Kimberley earlier this week.

Addressing the event, Coghsta MEC, Alvin Botes, highlighted the importance of the awards, pointing out that the event was aimed at honouring the roleplayers in the human settlements value chain who had partnered with government in delivering sustainable human settlements and improved quality of household life through the delivery of good quality housing in the province.

Botes emphasised the importance of the youth and women in the human settlements sector, stating that greater effort was needed to “subdue the youth grievance and respond to the youth dividend and population bulge”.

“We have only one established youth contractor in the form of Lesae Trading, under Thapelo Gopane,” Botes pointed out.

The awards were divided into five categories and were presented to: Best Integrated Residential Development Pro- gramme (RDP) awarded to ZF Mgcawu District; Best Youth Contractor in Human Settlements awarded to MPG Construction; Best Contractor in the Non-subsidy Market awarded to Olivier Construction; Best Farm Housing Assist Project awarded to Sosarona 160; and Best Accredited Municipality level two awarded to Frances Baard District Municipality.

Merit awards were also issue for the Best Performing Regional Office to the Frances Baard District Office; Best Emerging Women Contractor to Tshilane Trading CC and Best Military Veterans Project to Gray.