Update: Housing department responds to situation in Jumpas

The fire at the Jumpas informal settlement in Cleveland on November 12 prompted criticism from Ward 118 Clr Neuren Pietersen, who questioned the housing department’s turn around time on the delivery of housing to the poor.

Also read: Jumpers residents feel hopeless

In response to a media inquiry questioning what the department has done to ensure the needy are provided with housing in a reasonable time, department spokesperson Willington Simelane said housing delivery will take time.

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“Any housing development takes anything from seven to 20 years, depending on the scale of the development – from planning to implementation. Furthermore, the city is currently faced with a backlog of over 300 000 households, the demand grows on a daily basis while the resources remain finite,” said Simelane.

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“Notwithstanding this, people from these informal settlements are requested to apply for RDP. We often find that people who reside in these informal settlements have not applied for RDP.”

In response to when people of Jumpas could expect a response that addresses their needs for housing, Simelane said measures to address the backlog in housing delivery are being looked at.

He said the city empathised with the people of Jumpas and that housing programmes are being put together to try and deal with their plight.

“This includes the increase of social housing rental facilities through the Inner City Regeneration Programme, the mixed house developments such as South Hills (which targets communities from Region F) and serviced stands, where people will be given serviced stands to build their own houses,” said Simelane.

“We also have a programme to electrify and provide basic services to make informal settlements liveable.”

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