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|                         |  CITY OF JOHANNESBURG  | From: Nthatisi          |
|                         |            | Modingoane              |
|                         |                    |                         |
|                         |                                 | Communications,         |
|                         |                                 | Marketing, Tourism      |
|                         |                                 |                         |
|                         |                                 |         Telephone: (011)|
|                         |                                 |                 407-7354|
|                         |                                 |  Cellphone: 082 467 9228|
|                         |                                 |      Fax: (O11) 403-3494|
|                         |                                 |                         |
|                         |                                 |                         |
|                         |                                 | nthatisemn@joburg.org.za|
|                         |                                 |        www.joburg.org.za|
|                         |                                 |                         |
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|                         |       Friday, May 17, 2002      |                         |
|                         |                                 |                         |
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|                         |          MEDIA RELEASE          |                         |
|                         |                                 |                         |
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                 COUNCIL HOUSING PROJECT COMES TO FRUITION

In a move destined to improve their living conditions, about 7000 families
presently living in the informal settlements at the Ruth First and Freedom
Park will be relocated onto permanent housing stands. This process, which
is expected to last for two months, will commence on Monday 20 May 2002.

The families are all to be accommodated within the project area. This means
that there will be minimum disruption to the families' social networks and
access to their children's present schools and transport facilities. The
relocation is part of a development of the area into a fully fledge formal
urban area called the Golden Triangle Housing Project.

The Golden Triangle Housing Project is being developed by the Golden
Triangle Development Company, which was established in 2000 by the former
Southern Metropolitan Local Council and certain private landowners in the
area. The purpose was to try and solve the seemingly intractable problem of
developing this area of prime located land, which had been invaded by
illegal squatters.

The land invasions took place over a period of time around 1994, and
affected land owned by both the public and private sector. In certain
instances, ecologically sensitive areas such as koppies, ridges and river
flood plains were also invaded.

Since its establishment, the Golden Triangle Development Company has
completed a large amount of preliminary work for the development of the
area. The area has been properly planned for a multi-facetted development
comprising housing, social facilities, open recreational space and certain
commercial development along the Golden Highway. All this has been done
taking into account the ecological sensitivities of the area and the need
to ultimately provide any development with permanent and adequate services.
In addition, a comprehensive database of residents has been compiled and
the majority of them have been processed for the allocation of government
housing subsidies in the future.

The planned development will take place over a number of years. The initial
phase is to provide the existing residents with permanent stands, which
will be registered in their names. Once the settlement of families has been
completed, the existing temporary sanitation and water services will be
replaced with permanent piped services. Thereafter, a programme will be
introduced through which residents will be assisted to build their houses.
While the planning and resettling of the area has been funded by the City
of Johannesburg, it is hoped that funds will be provided by the Provincial
Department of Housing through the national housing subsidy for the
servicing of the area as well as for the assisted housing programme.

Paralleling the development of the housing component of the project will be
the planning and provision of the necessary community facilities for the
residents. A primary school, funded by the Gauteng Education Department is
already under construction in the area.


ENDS


For more information please contact:

Alan Kitchin (Programme Manager) 082 414 2430 or Buti Lesiela (Project
Manager) 083 497 7533 or Nthatisi Modingoane (Media Liaison Officer) 082
467 9228

Nthatisi Modingoane
Media Liaison Officer
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Tel: (011) 407 7354
Fax: 403 3494
Cell: 082 378 6977
E-mail: nthatisem@joburg.org.za

For more information about this wonderful City of ours, please visit our
website : www.joburg.org.za