June 22, 2006
By Shamin Chibba
JOHANNESBURG is determined to rid the city of informal settlements and ensure every resident has access to adequate housing, according to the mayoral committee member for housing, Strike Ralegoma.
Reacting to housing minister Lindiwe Sisulu's call for "a South Africa free of slums by 2014", Ralegoma said Johannesburg would work to relocate residents in informal settlements to new areas, or formalise the existing settlements.
During the council's last term, from 2000 to 2005, Johannesburg formalised 50 percent of the city's informal settlements, Ralegoma said.
Sisulu, speaking to the media on her department's budget vote in parliament in May, identified two key areas that would impact on the provision of housing:
- Broadening the access to housing; and
- Speeding up the delivery of housing.
Johannesburg reflects the national strategy. "We are part of the same government," Ralegoma said. "[The minister] has the same priorities as us."
To date, the City has built houses in Lehae, Golden Triangle, Bramfischer, Diepsloot, Cosmo City and in Alexandra. "This year we will still be consolidating those areas."
The Lehae project, in Vlakfontein, covers 6 352 stands, while the Golden triangle project, on the border of Golden Highway, involves the installation of essential services for 7 000 erven.
Bramfischerville became home to 100 families in the last year, while Extension 7 in Alexandra will provide 1 400 houses.
Several projects are being undertaken in Diepsloot, with electricity and water being installed, sites being upgraded and houses built.
Houses under construction in Cosmo City
Meanwhile, the first residents have already moved into houses in the mixed development Cosmo City. This R2-billion housing project eventually will contain 12 500 houses of mixed value and by the time the project is complete in 2007, 5 000 houses in Cosmo City will have been allocated to deserving families. All they will need to do is pay for basic services like water, electricity and refuse removal.
"We are also upgrading hostels into family units," Ralegoma said. The hostels, set up in the era of segregation, housed single, male migrant workers.
The City's housing plan identified the need to build some 100 000 houses over the next five years, Ralegoma said, adding that it was important for the department to set up public-private partnerships.
One such recent partnership with Radio 702 and First National Bank is the current project to build 702 houses in Cosmo City by December 2006.
Sisulu, in her briefing, identified other partnerships that are helping speed up housing delivery in Johannesburg.
First National Bank plans to pump R300-million into a project in Protea Glen in Soweto in the form of bridging finance for developers. This will see some
3 000 housing units built.
Standard Bank has also pledged another R500-million for end-user finance, said Sisulu.
On the subject of broadening access to housing, the City has applied to the province for funding to build social housing stock.
People earning less than R7 000 a month can apply to rent houses at cheaper rates through the social housing programme.
This is in line with Sisulu's programme, which will make house rentals in good locations more affordable for people in the lower income bracket.
Sisulu said the national department is compiling a framework for environmentally sound housing. Johannesburg "will be ensuring that the design of the actual houses are environmentally safe", according to Ralegoma.
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