Cyril Ramaphosa will address a building technology summit

Big housing pressure is forcing a tech-first showdown, where fresh construction tricks could finally unclog shelter queues and reshape city growth.

Summit kickoff and stakes

• Innovative Building Technologies Summit opens the national housing reset.
• The meetup lands at Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.
• The run spans Tuesday, 3 February 2026, through Wednesday.
• Attendance pulls officials, builders, investors, scholars, and residents.

Housing backlog and urban surge

• Over 2.5 million families sit in shelter queues.
• Rapid city inflows keep swelling informal zones.
• Unplanned growth keeps services thin and risks high.

Tech ideas on the table

• Fast-build systems promise walls in days.
• Reused inputs aim to trim waste and spend.
• Modular setups target crowded or disaster-hit areas.

Presidential signal and policy tie-in

• President Cyril Ramaphosa anchors the event with a keynote.
• His remarks land at 10:00.
• The message leans on innovation-backed settlement reform.
• Alignment tracks with the National Development Plan 2030 goals.

Money, jobs, and delivery math

• Construction already supports over 1.4 million workers.
• Green methods open paths for youth training.
• Smarter financing seeks affordability for low earners.

Climate pressure and safety gaps

• Extreme weather keeps damaging weak structures.
• Energy-smart designs cut bills and emissions.
• Skills gaps and costs still block scale.

What participants want next

• Actionable pilots and policy tweaks top the wish list.
• Human Settlements Department examples show cheaper builds.
• National rollout could slash waits and boost dignity.