Human Settlement, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has commended residents of Duncan Village informal settlement in East London for agreeing to be relocated to a nearby temporary residential area to make way for the development of their informal settlement.
The temporary relocation of the households to Temporary Residential Units (TRUs), forms an integral part of the development strategy for the Duncan Village Redevelopment Initiative (DVRI) which is a multi-year project expected to yield thousands of housing units.
Sisulu visited Duncan Village recently, to assess progress of the housing project whose first phase will accommodate 2 500 residents.
She said that the main focus of the DVRI is to establish formal and permanent housing opportunities in phases.
The area which is currently being developed is densely populated, and as such, there is a need for decongestion through the building of decent temporary homes.
“We are committed to upgrade all of our informal settlements around the country. We are no longer just building, we are building human settlements, a place people feel that this [is] where I want to live.
“It is important to underline, this is a temporary unit not your final home, your final home will be a brick and mortar home. This is what we promised you and we are building a better life for all,” Sisulu told residents.
The project, implemented in line with the National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP), seeks to alleviate the plight of approximately 30 000 households in about 18 400 informal structures in severely overcrowded pieces of land earmarked for development.
The Minister reiterated that the department is committed to ensuring that, “where there is any kind of work or industrial development, there must be space for human settlements”.
“Our determination is to the extent that it is possible where there is work, there should [be] houses for people to live in, there should be nursery schools for children to go, there should be schools for pupils to go to, and recreational facilities to entertain themselves,” Sisulu said. – SAnews.gov.za
