SPEECH BY HELEN ZILLE
MAYOR OF CAPE TOWN
FOR NINHAM SHAND CORPORATE BUILDING BLITZ DAY WITH NIALL
MELLON TOWNSHIP TRUST
13 MAY 2008, 16H00, MFULENI
Mr Hugh Brennan, CEO of the Niall Mellon Township Initiative, Mr Barney Tsita,
Chairman of Ninham Shand Consultants, Mr Arnie Möhr, Managing Director of
Ninham Shand, Mr Hannes Kritzinger, Head of the Ninham Shand Cape Town,
company staff, members of the Niall Mellon Township Trust, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the City of Cape Town I would like to thank everyone at the Niall
Mellon Township Trust, including this year’s volunteers and the Ninham Shand
volunteers, for helping us to address one of the most serious developmental
challenges we face.
In Cape Town we have a housing shortage of about 400 000 units, a figure that grows
by about 16 000 per year.
With winter approaching, we have already seen floods in those informal settlements
lacking proper drainage or built below the flood line. Sadly, we will see more of this,
although the City has put measures in place to reduce the impact as far as possible.
All year round people are also losing their homes and even their lives due to regular
fires in informal settlements.
It is clear, therefore, just how serious the shortage of formal housing is from a
humanitarian point of view.
In government we are doing everything we can to accelerate the delivery of housing
opportunities, but we need all the help we can get.
At present, we are only able to deliver about 7000 housing opportunities per year in
Cape Town.
Although this is nearly three times the rate of delivery five years ago, and nearly twice
what it was only 2 years ago, it still means we are going backward in addressing the
housing crisis.
Niall Mellon and his organisation have built about 6000 houses since they started
their work in 2002, and the rate at which they are building has increased exponentially
each year.
We, together with the 35 000 beneficiaries of your initiative, are deeply indebted to
everyone who has dedicated themselves to this cause.
Last time I came to Mfuleni to see Mr Mellon and his team, I lamented the fact that
there were no South African counterparts to the Irish professionals who had
volunteered their time and raised up to R50 000 each to help destitute South Africans
in this project.
I am therefore proud to see that this year Ninham Shand Consulting Engineers have
decided to step in for this corporate volunteer day.
As a South African, I feel much better about being here as a result.
I would like to thank Mr Tsita, Mr Möhr and Mr Kritzinger for getting involved.
I was also happy to see that Santam is scheduled to build on 20 May.
I hope that other South African companies will be inspired to follow the example set
here today.
We should be aiming to heavily outnumber Niall Mellon’s Irish volunteers with
dedicated local builders.
It is particularly in the interest of local companies to get involved.
On the one hand, it is good publicity for any company that takes part, and it gives
employees a chance to show the mettle.
But more importantly, the long term viability of our economy relies on addressing our
developmental challenges in a proactive manner.
In Cape Town our Gini co-efficient, which marks the gap between the rich and the
poor is 0,6 which is worse than the international average. This situation and the
expectations it arouses can create the conditions for outbreaks of unrest, as we have
seen recently in informal settlements like Joe Slovo.
It is therefore in the interests of serious stakeholders in the private sector to play a role
wherever they can in helping to stabilise our society and our economy.
We need more large corporate concerns to act on this basis so we can reach a tipping
point where the private sector becomes the leading agent in driving development in
South Africa.
This is our best chance of turning the tide on poverty and underdevelopment.
I thank you.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON NINHAM SHAND CONSULTING
SERVICES
Ninham Shand is a well-established and future-focused firm of consulting engineers
and environmental scientists, with a staff complement of over 500 professionals and
support staff active in a wide variety of disciplines, and interests throughout Africa.
The firm was founded in 1932 by Ninham Shand, the man who first envisaged the
Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Not only do we offer clients the benefit of over seventy years of experience, but we
also have an innovative, dynamic approach. We have been involved in a number of
landmark projects and have won many prestigious awards. Ninham Shand has built up
a reputation for service excellence - we were one of the first firms in the consulting
engineering field in Southern Africa to achieve certification in terms of the new ISO
9001: 2000 standard for quality management systems.
OUR VISION:
ENGINEERING A BETTER TOMORROW, TODAY
IN BRIEF:
As one of the largest and most successful Consulting Engineering firms in Southern
Africa, NINHAM SHAND is an established leader in the engineering profession.
Sought after for our expertise in a wide range of fields, we provide a comprehensive
consulting service in civil, structural and environmental engineering.
We maintain a high standard of time and cost management and quality control,
ensuring that projects are completed ON TIME, WITHIN BUDGET and TO THE
HIGHEST STANDARD. We subscribe to the principle of environmentally
sustainable development.
OUR SIZE:
With over 500 professionals and support staff in seventeen offices, we have both the
capacity and experience to undertake a large diversity of projects.
WHEN WAS THE FIRM FOUNDED:
The firm was founded in Cape Town in 1932 by Ninham Shand, the man who first
envisaged the Oxbow Scheme (now the Lesotho Highlands Water Project). He
established a reputation for ideals that are an integral part of the firm’s ethos today;
INTEGRITY, PROFESSIONALISM and INNOVATIVE THINKING.
MANAGEMENT:
Control is vested in a directorate of professional engineers, who are independent of
external interests.
PROGRAMME FOR NINHAM SHAND VOLUNTEER BLITZ TUESDAY
MAY 13TH AT MFULENI
3.25pm – 3.30pm - Mayor Zille arrives at compound entrance and is greeted by Tom
Fitzgerald who Introduces the Mayor to Hugh Brennan(CEO NMTI), Barney Tsita
(Chairman N Shand), Arnie Möhr (MD N Shand), Hannes Kritzinger (Head of CT
office, N.Shand), W DeVilliers(MD MHI).
Mayor will greet members of N Shand staff and pose for photographs and conduct a
brief interview (We will be filming the day’s events for Ninham Shand and NMTT in
order to promote CSI in South Africa)
3.40pm - Group will walk from Compound to Handover house (only 100m). The
group will be led by Barney Tsita (Chairman N Shand) Mayor H. Zille, Arnie
Möhr(MD N Shand), Hannes Kritzinger (Head of CT office, N Shand), Hugh
Brennan(CEO NMTI) & W DeVilliers(MD MHI).
3.45pm - Tom Fitzgerald (from NMTI) will acknowledge and welcome our VIP guest
Mayor H. Zille and introduce Hugh Brennan (NMTI's CEO)
H.Brennan will speak – Welcome Mayor H Zille - thank Arnie Möhr (Managing
Director of Ninham Shand) and for agreeing that the firm participate and Hannes
Kritzinger (Head of the Cape Town office) for signing up the Cape Town staff
and half of the sponsorship for this initiative.
3.50pm - H.Brennan will then introduce Barney Tsita (Chairman of N Shand)
Barney Tsita will outline the actual work that has been accomplished by the teams on
the day (information from Noeki, Blitz Manager Manager).
B.Tsita will also award the building block prize to the best team and a cricket hat to
the 10 members (Judges: Alan Espey and Noeki Gous).
4.00pm – Barney Tsita will then welcome and introduce Mayor Helen Zille.
Mayor H.Zille will address the Ninham Shand volunteers.
4.10pm – Tom Fitzgerald will thank the Mayor and then call on Barney Tsita the
house handover to (Tembisa Gugudela: Beneficiary)
4.12pm – Barney Tsita will officially handover the keys to the beneficiary to be who
will shake hands with Barney, cut ribbon and open the door.
4.20pm - Photos will need to take place after the House Handover
4.25pm - to Hugh Brennan(CEO NMTI), Barney Tsita (CEO N Shand), Arnie
Möhr(MD N Shand), Hannes Kritzinger (Head of the Cape Town Office, N
Shand), W DeVilliers(MD MHI) will accompany Mayor H Zille to her car.
4.30pm – Mayor H Zille will depart.