A R41-million housing project in Birchleigh North will see over 8 000 houses being built, as well as schools, clinics and other community facilities.
Ekurhuleni MMC for Human Settlements Lesiba Mpya shared information about the project at a recent public meeting attended by Birchleigh North residents as well as people living in Motsu Section in Thembisa.
The announcement of this project came in the wake of another mega housing project in Thembisa which will yield 3 510 housing units. The latter includes 3 159 RDP walk-ups with the remaining 351 being social housing units.
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The MMC could not present plans for the Birchleigh North development at the meeting. He said it would be made available to ward councillor Desmond McKenzie as soon as possible to present to residents.
At the meeting, Motsu Section residents said they believed the process used to allocate homes was unfair.
Mpya said elderly people, the disabled, child-headed households and people from communities who applied for housing in 1996 will be prioritised for the Birchleigh North project.
“’We are not going to be intimidated or blackmailed by individuals who forget that the beneficiary list for the project will apply to residents who have been on the waiting list for over two decades to receive houses,” said Mpya.
Plans had been approved and the first phase of construction of bulk services will start during the current financial year. Civil infrastructure should be completed by June.
“The project aims to ensure greater transparency to beneficiaries during the construction and allocation process,” said Mpya.
A Motsu resident complained about the poor living conditions at Dali Mpofu informal settlement. “We used the neglected land, a dumping site, to create our own settlement. We are using the land illegally because we do not have houses, we need more houses.
“The project must not only include beneficiaries dating from 1996, but all who live in poverty and informal housing.”
Kaalfontein resident Audrey Komane said the project was long overdue and plans should be shown to residents and beneficiaries, as there is a community concern over the project.
“We attended this meeting thinking we would receive an overview of the project, but the MMC addressed residents without a plan. We also expect to be involved in the project in terms of employment, business opportunities and skills,” said Komane.
A Birchleigh North resident of over 40 years, Chris Uys, questioned officials about the detailed plans for the development.
“The environmental impact study to ensure this area is suitable for housing is not available. There should be no wetlands or dolomite. Building on wetlands or unstable ground will increase the cost as well as the preparation required for services.
“This crucial information must be urgently made available to ensure proper public viewing and comments before work on this project should be allowed to start,” said Uys.
Mckenzie said a follow-up meeting would take place within two weeks. A date is still to be confirmed.
“I will arrange with the management of Coen Scholtz Community Centre to display the plans for viewing,” said Mckenzie.
No plans were available at the time of going to print.
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