Driving progress through housing developments

The authorities in the Vaal region, as in much of South Africa, are hard at work to facilitate change in the spatial patterns that are the legacy of a dark past. Mixed-use and mixed-income settlements are at the fore of this shift.

LESEDI

Lesedi Local Municipality strives to achieve the national target of eradicating the informal settlements by providing houses to poor communities. Lesedi works very closely with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements by providing the land and all necessary infrastructure to ensure successful housing delivery.

The housing backlog is currently estimated at 14 189. Over the years, Lesedi has managed to deliver over 11 000 houses and formalised 943 informal stands. The municipality has been able to address about 60% of housing delivery backlogs; however, due to continuous migration problems into the area, the housing backlog remains high. Furthermore, Lesedi has recently managed to formalise another 238 stands in Ratanda X8, where about 130 housing units are planned to be delivered.

Housing projects

There are numerous housing projects in various stages of development across the municipality, some of which are listed below.

Hostel Redevelopment at Ratanda and Shalimar Ridge: The project consists of 210 units; 24 hostels have been built at Ratanda and 186 unit are being constructed at Shalimar Ridge. There is still outstanding work, such as paving, landscaping, fencing, parking lots and washing lines, before the project is handed over to the municipality. This project is implemented by the Department of Human Settlements. Unfortunately, there were invasions and vandalism on the property and the municipality is soliciting ways to remedy the situation.

Obed Nkosi Housing Project: This project is envisaged for the development of 6 000 mixed-income residential stands and forms part of one of Gauteng’s mega housing projects. Currently, 1 532 houses have been allocated and occupied by approved beneficiaries.

Ratanda Extension: The goal of the project is accommodate all the informal households in Ratanda that have invaded private and municipal land. A contractor has been appointed and is currently on-site to build 135 houses during the first phase of the project. Thirty-eight houses have been allocated.

Ratanda Close-off Housing Project: About 130 houses are under construction in Ratanda Ext 1,3,5,6,7 and 8. The second phase of the project will include the completion of Gautrans houses and the construction of houses in Ratanda Ext 8 at 238 stands. Two contractors have been appointed to complete the 130 housing units and 58 additional units will be built, with 33 houses having been allocated thus far.

Impumelelo Ext 3 Housing Project: Feasibility studies have already been conducted and preliminary results

indicate that the land identified is suitable for development. The project will consist of 3 400 stands of which 1 536 stands are completed with services certificates issued

Floracadia: This development is envisaged along the R42 on the remainder of portion four of the farm Boschoek 385 IR. The site was previously known as Floracadia Nursery and was used for hydroponics flower production; however, most of the infrastructure has been removed and the site is currently used as a construction camp for a nearby bulk liquid infrastructure project. The proposed development will consist of a completely mixed-used township.

Floracadia (Boschoek Equestrian Estate): This development is envisaged in a rural agricultural community abutted on the east by small farm holdings. A small settlement, which was previously used by Floracadia staff, is located on the south. The property is located adjacent to the provincial road R42, south of Heidelberg town. The proposed site will be zoned rural residential erven, which will be bonded and privately owned.

MIDVAAL

According to the Midvaal Clarification Report on Informal Settlements, the official housing backlog for planning purposes in the municipality stands at 5 546. Numerous housing projects are under way within the municipal area, which may go some way to addressing this need.

A flagship project

Savanna City is the largest and most significant development in Midvaal Local Municipality. It borders Orange Farm in the City of Johannesburg and comprises 1 462 ha of land. On completion, it will offer 18 399 mixed-income residential stands (with collective capacity for 19 264 dwelling units), together with various community facility and commercial stands.

More specifically, the development will comprise 5 517 fully subsidised houses, 5 518 Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) housing opportunities, 2 635 Residential Zone 3 units, and 4 729 bonded houses. When completed, the township will also include

16 schools, 32 institutional sites, nine municipal sites and nine business areas.

Key developments

The Grace township is located to the west of Klipriver Business Park and will provide approximately 1 414 Zone 1 residential units, with a subsidy component for 700 Zone 3 sectional title units. The development will include mixed-use and commercial stands.

Housing construction on Erf 206 of Meyerton Farms has been completed and comprises 290 fully subsidised housing units. Beneficiaries from the Sicelo informal settlements of Midvaal were allocated the available houses.

A housing project is currently under construction on Erf 78 of Meyerton Farms and will provide 720 residential units in the form of walk-up units with full title deeds. Phase 1 of the project is ongoing for the construction of 180 units.

Erf 41, 52, 53 and 184 of Meyerton Farms (known as Sicelo Ext 4 & 5) currently hosts the biggest informal settlement in Midvaal. Rezoning, engineering designs, dolomitic investigations and layout plans for formalisation have been completed; however, the major challenge faced is the de-densification of the informal settlement to provide services and begin construction of houses in Ext 4 & 5.

A rapid land release programme is currently under way on Portion 47 of the farm Langkuil 373 IR. This will assist with the de-densification of Sicelo Ext 5 to enable formalisation of the informal settlement.

The aim of the Mamello Ext 1 project is to provide housing opportunities to the

residents of the current Mamello informal settlement. The project is split into two phases of which Phase 1 will include 565 residential units for fully subsidised houses.

A portion of land has been identified at the Boitumelo informal settlement, with the aim being to make 1 500 serviced stands available to the residents of Boitumelo, Piel’s Farm, Khayelitsha and neighbouring informal settlements. This forms part of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements’ Rapid Land Release Programme.

Land has also been identified in Portion 7 of the Farm Panfontein 437 IR for the construction of an agrivillage comprising 500 units. This is to provide housing opportunities for the Bantu Bonke backyarders and neighbouring informal settlements such as Makokong and Kudung.

EMFULENI

Emfuleni Local Municipality’s Department of Human Settlements is committed to the delivery of diversified habitable houses, with all social amenities, in a secure and development-friendly environment. The department’s mission is to uphold the Batho Pele principles by: • ensuring cost-effective and affordable services • being responsive and sensitive to the social and housing needs of the communities • providing a range of affordable shelter options • identifying suitable land for the

establishment of new housing projects, to reduce the housing backlog. The housing backlog for the municipality is estimated at 79 500 units. Building houses remains the competency of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements. The role of local municipalities in terms of housing provision is to facilitate and oversee housing projects.

Emfuleni is one of the municipalities identified by the National Department of Human Settlements to be considered for National Upgrading Support Programme technical assistance and capacity-building support, in agreement with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements.

Emfuleni Local Municipality was identified as one of the municipalities to receive funding from national government for the upgrading of 21 informal settlements and the first five in terms of priority were upgraded in the previous financial year. These are Chris Hani, Hlala Kwabafileyo, Snake Park, Tshepiso Backyard Dwellers and Cape Gate.

Priorities

The objective of the Department of Human Settlements of achieving spatial transformation with socio-economic development spin-offs has identified specific areas within its jurisdiction that should be declared as restructuring zones, as prescribed and guided by the Social Housing Act (No. 16 of 2008).

Priority housing developments areas (PHDAs) have been identified and a

submission in this regard has already been made. A proclamation in this regard was made by former Minister of Human Settlements Nomaindiya Mfeketo, giving notice of the proposed PHDAs in terms of Section 7 (3) of the Housing Development Agency Act (No. 23 of 2008), read with Section 3.2 (f-g) of the Housing Act (No. 107 of 1997). This proclamation was published in Government Gazette No. 42 464 on 17 May 2019. The PHDAs are intended to advance human settlements spatial transformation and consolidation by ensuring that the delivery of housing is used to restructure and revitalise towns and cities, strengthen the livelihood prospects of households, and overcome apartheid spatial patterns by fostering integrated urban forms.

Making progress

Emfuleni Local Municipality’s Department of Human Settlements established the Rental Housing Information Offices (according to the Rental Housing Tribunal, Act (No. 50 of 1999)) where rental tribunal administration is performed. The function of the information offices is to advise tenants and landlords concerning their rights and obligations in relation to dwellings within the area of their jurisdiction. These cases are dealt with by the Tribunal Council.

A total of 2 441 title deeds were received from the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, which need to be handed over to the owners, and 3 516 (RDP) houses were built.