Alexandra Peace Ambassadors addresses the housing issues in Alex
The temporary structure to accommodate people without houses in Alex is almost finished.
The Alexandra Peace Ambassadors invited the Alex community, ward councillors and government officials to a Community Indaba where they discussed the topic of housing.
“Alexandra Peace Ambassadors is a non-profit organisation based in Alex and we always deal with certain issues affecting the community such as gender-based violence, health, human rights, and the Constitution. So housing is part of the Constitution as it is stated in Section 26 of the Constitution that everyone has a right to have access to adequate housing, hence, we decided to do the Community Indaba to talk about the burning issue of housing in Alex,” said Alex Peace Ambassador Thabo Mopasi.
Mopasi said Alex was becoming over-populated as there were more than 750 000 people currently living in Alex and the sewerage system was only designed to cater for about 60 000 people. “This over-population is making the environment unhealthy and untidy because sewers no longer [can cope] and the streets are dirty.”
Ward 107 councillor in Floyd Ngwenya said, “As councillors, we urge the community to work with us to better Alex.
I also want to encourage people to stand up for themselves and bring the change, starting from the yards they reside in.”
The MMC for Housing Mlungisi Mabaso said, “Alex is one of the oldest townships in the city with over 33 000 people who have applied for houses but we have only 5 000 people approved. We all know how congested Alex is and that it is full of informal settlements.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the City received R341 million with the stipulation that we provide temporary housing in Alex. Three sites were identified, two in Marlboro and one at Madala Hostel.
“This development, sadly, was delayed for 11 months, however, it will now be finished in July. After it is finished, we will have a meeting with the councillors and decide… we will choose people who are truly in need of housing.”
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