June 4, 2002
By Zolile Mtshelwane
ALMOST 1 000 housing units have been completed in Greater Alexandra as part of the Alexandra Renewal project to address the chronic housing shortage. Greater Alexandra, situated in the north-eastern suburbs of Johannesburg on the banks of the Jukskei River, is one of South Africa's oldest townships with a population of about 350 000 people.
According to Mike Morkel, co-ordinator of the housing focus area of the project, an additional 470 units will be completed in the next two months. Morkel said 777 units have already been occupied in the Riverpark development in East Bank, near Lombardy at a cost of R14 million, while 210 units are already occupied in Extension 8 in East Bank.
Morkel added that nearly R30 million has been set aside to develop a further 11 500 units over the next three years. More land east of Alexandra has been acquired on which more housing units will be developed, said Morkel.
The Alexandra Renewal Project is the initiative of the national, provincial and local government to be implemented over a seven-year period as a Presidential Lead project. The project, whose budget is R1.3 billion, aims to radically change the physical, social and economic environment of Alexandra. The private sector, the Alexandra community, through non-governmental organisations, and community-based organisations are also part of the initiative.
Proclaimed a township in 1912, Alexandra was one of the few areas where black people could own land under the 99-year freehold title in urban areas. As more people moved into Alexandra from the rural areas in the 1970s to look for work, the population of the township grew phenomenally. This led to an increase in shacks and informal dwellings on every available open space, including shacks on the precarious banks of the Jukskei River, which always burst during the rainy season.
The increasing number of residents, unplanned development and overcrowding have overloaded the infrastructure, leading to low water pressure and frequently overflowing sewers.
Some of the other problems that will be addressed through the Renewal project are:
- overcrowding that is characterised by 34 000 shacks and 4 060 formal houses.
- levels of unemployment estimated at 60 percent.
- a lack of skills and low income levels among residents.
- low levels of education among the residents.
- an absence of an urban management structure that led to the flouting of building regulations and zoning laws.
- high levels of non-payment for services and accommodation.
- high levels of crime and violence.
The plan aims to address these problems by:
- reducing the levels of unemployment by about 20 percent in seven years.
- creating a healthy and clean living environment.
- providing services at an affordable level.
- reducing levels of crime and violence.
- upgrading existing housing environments and creating additional affordable housing opportunities.
In addressing the need to create a healthy and clean living environment, families who lived in unsafe and badly situated locations in the township were relocated towards the end of 2001. They were resettled in transit facilities pending the completion of housing units.
The removals included:
- about 5 500 households who lived in shacks on the banks of the Jukskei River. The dwellings were always flooded and washed away during the rainy season.
- about 3 800 households who lived on an infill site, exposing themselves to health hazards.
- families living in shacks on school sites, the Jukskei River tributaries, and on pavements.
The plan's housing project is being developed along three approaches, namely:
- developing housing for private ownership.
- development for rental which includes redeveloping the hostels and upgrading of informal housing in the backyards of formal houses.
- housing development for persons with special needs. This will take into account people living with HIV/Aids, Aids orphans and children at risk, the aged and the disabled.
To address unemployment in Greater Alexandra, the Local Economic Development unit aims to:
- facilitate job creation within Alexandra and the wider regional economy.
- promote the creation and growth of small enterprises owned and managed by Alexandra entrepreneurs.
- foster productive economic linkages between Alexandra and the wider regional economy.
- facilitate the development of skills to enable Alexandra residents to participate in the economy.
- enhance the stability and growth prospects of the Alexandra and surrounding economy.
Precincts
- The project will be implemented in terms of specifically defined precincts, the reasoning being that:
- the approach allows for the sub-division of the project area into smaller, homogenous units. This is because Alexandra reflects divergent interests and economics of development as homeowners co-exist alongside shack dwellers and hostel dwellers, while areas such as the East Bank are more developed in terms of infrastructure.
- the approach allows for focused attention on a smaller geographical unit with specific characteristics.
Three precincts have been identified to pilot the approach. These are the RCA area, Pan Africa Square and Marlboro.
The RCA area (precinct 2) is bound by Roosevelt Road in the north, 8th Avenue in the east, London Road in the south and 1st Avenue in the west.
- The Pan Africa Square, precinct 1, includes 1st Avenue in the east, 13th Road in the south, Pretoria Main road in the west.
- Marlboro (precinct 7) is bound by Marlboro South and Marlboro Gardens in the north.
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