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In an effort to ease the housing backlog in Gauteng, Human Settlement MEC Lebogang Maile has been tasked by Premier David Makhura with ensuring the completion of the botched Alexandra, Evaton, Kliptown, Bekkersdal and Winterveldt housing renewal projects.
Maile was given a 100-day timeline by which he needs to present a blueprint to the provincial administration on how his department will resuscitate these failed multimillion-rand projects.
The MEC was tasked with this mammoth undertaking despite numerous allegations levelled against him by the DA and the EFF linking him, his family and other ANC politicians with unduly benefiting from the bungled Alexandra Renewal Project.
Makhura made the announcement on Monday when he delivered his first state of the province address under the sixth administration.
He said “despite having delivered 1.2 million government subsidised houses in Gauteng alone over the past 25 years, the housing backlog was still estimated at 1 million, due to in-migration and rapid urbanisation.”
Therefore there was a need for a fresh approach towards achieving the goal of housing the province’s masses, he said.
“Accordingly, we have introduced two key interventions: mega human settlement and rapid land release.
“MEC Lebogang Maile will present a plan to me about Rapid Land Release, the completion of incomplete housing projects, handing over of the outstanding title deeds, urban renewal projects, Alexandra, Evaton, Kliptown, Bekkersdal and Winterveldt and the prevention of land invasions across Gauteng,” said Makhura.
The premier also said there was a need to fast-track the release of unutilised government buildings, abandoned factories, municipal shops or land for urban agriculture to entrepreneurs who want to utilise this to grow the economy and create jobs.
In the run up to the May 8 elections, Alexandra residents blockaded numerous roads leading to Sandton as they protested over lack of housing and service delivery.
Chief among their complaints was that money was set aside – about R1.3 billion – towards the Alexandra renewal project which was meant to benefit many in that community but years later and still conditions had not changed.
Still on the issue of integrated human settlement and rapid land release, Makhura said his administration was open to working together with the faith-based community to respond to their call to the province to include them in provincial land release projects.
Makhura also revealed that as part of the province’s plans to unlock land for community members, he – through the West Rand Economic Development Summit held in 2017 – had managed to get mining houses to commit to donating land for light industry and agricultural development.
According to the premier, Sibanye-Stillwater has committed to releasing 30 000 hectares of land.
“This will bring much needed revitalisation and new jobs to the West Rand economy,” he said.
He added that his administration’s Rapid Land Release programme had received overwhelming popular support from different sectors and strata of society.
