Some Langa residents will no longer have to worry about living in cold and wet shacks with no basic services, because over 300 new housing units will soon be handed over to them.
The high density housing units are part of the Joe Slovo Phase 3 Housing Project, just off the N2 highway, which aims to transform the area’s informal settlements into a dignified community while minimising the relocation of residents. In order to achieve this, the housing units are flats and apartment blocks, which have higher density and take up less land.
The project was spearheaded by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and the National Department of Housing. The City of Cape Town was involved through the land availability agreement and allocation process, and is also involved in housing education, says Cllr Ernest Sonnenberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements.
Cllr Sonnenberg welcomed guests at the handover on Tuesday, 14 August 2012, including Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and Western Cape MEC for Human Settlements, Bonginkosi Madikizela.
Some of the recipients have been on the housing waiting list for many years, and could not contain their joy. Another group of Gugulethu residents protested nearby over the lack of housing in their area.
The Joe Slovo informal settlement was established in the late 1980s and grew rapidly due to its convenient location 12km outside of Cape Town and close to transport networks and educational facilities. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in the city, with 2 748 households recorded in 2009.
The project was launched after a devastating fire in 2005. Residents were ordered to relocate so that 1 500 houses could be built on the land, but the community went to court and a Constitutional Court ruling in 2009 shaped the future of the project, by forcing authorities to provide more housing opportunities to minimise the relocation of residents, and ensuring engagement between all roleplayers, in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
The final design of the project resulted in a total of 2 639 units, ensuring that as many residents as possible remain in the area, while the consultation process has ensured that the development is inclusive and enjoys community support. The high-density nature of the project has meant however that costs per unit are higher than other developments.
The development is planned over three phases, with the first sod having being turned on 1 March 2011.
The housing units are 40m² and consist of two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen sink, with ceilings and plastered and painted walls. Currently, 577 units are under construction in Phase 3A, while Phase 3C’s layout has been approved, and bulk services are under construction.
