Property24 clicks for bricks hailed by Minister

Provincial Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela of the Department of Human Settlements in the Western Cape congratulated Property24.com and Habitat for Humanity South Africa for effectively partnering to provide Ntombizodwa “Zodwa” Regina with a house as part of the Property24.com Clicks for Bricks Challenge.

He applauded the creativity behind the initiative and said, “The government will rely more and more on partnerships like these to assist us to help people like Zodwa. Via a partnership we can deliver more houses and cut costs. This is the beginning of many things to come.” The Minister said his intention is to introduce this model to other areas in the country.

Minister Madikizela was speaking at the culmination of the Property24.com Clicks for Bricks build, where after five days of building by the community and volunteers, the keys to Zodwa’s new house were handed over to her. Launched in April, the challenge consisted of a Facebook application where Property24.com donated R5 for every “like” they received on their fan page, to raise the R91 000 needed to build the house.

Zodwa has lived in a one-room shack in Mfuleni on the outskirts of Cape Town since 2003 with her nine-year-old daughter. Originally from the Eastern Cape, she works as a domestic worker. She was looking forward to moving her possessions into the 40 square metre house and having two bedrooms, an indoor bathroom, kitchen, water supply and a roof that doesn’t leak.

Zodwa’s new home was built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity South Africa, which effects change in South Africa by providing simple, decent and affordable housing. Community involvement is key to the Habitat for Humanity South Africa programme. Recipients are chosen by the community and volunteer 60 hours of their time building houses for others before qualifying while artisans and team leaders are drawn from the community to work on the houses.

National Director of Habitat for Humanity South Africa, Paul Durrant, commented, “The Property24.com Clicks for Bricks Challenge merged together a developing world need with a first world technology to allow people around the world to see what is happening, volunteer, and come into the community. A real world community has been enriched by an online community.”