Ramaphosa calls for tech-driven housing to tackle climate and urban growth

By Akani Nkuna

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the incorporation of technological solutions in housing development, town planning and human settlements, saying innovation offers government a pathway to rapid, large-scale delivery that responds to contemporary challenges such as climate change while remaining affordable.

“If we continue to build in the old way, on the same land, with the same vulnerabilities, using the same methods and the same materials, then we are not solving the housing challenge. We must make a change, and this is the time for that change, in the light of population growth, climate pressures and technological advances,” Ramaphosa said.

“We have to think beyond traditional ways of building. We have to think beyond just bricks and mortar. We must embrace technological solutions that enable housing to be delivered faster, better and at scale — and, in my view, cheaper, because I always look at the bottom