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The Montrose Mega City housing project began in 2017 but has since stalled due to the liquidation of the contractors.
The Montrose Mega City project in Randfontein. Picture: ActionSA
A man died on the West Rand after being trapped under the rubble of an incomplete social housing project.
The man was declared dead after a wall at the dilapidated government housing development collapsed on Tuesday.
The Gauteng department of human settlements (DHS) extended its condolences to the deceased’s family and said it was still committed to the project’s completion.
DHS confirmed on Thursday that police were investigating the matter, but that the victim should not have been on the property.
“Preliminary information indicates that the individual was involved in unauthorised illegal activities at the site when a portion of a staircase structure collapsed,” the department said.
“We wish to clarify that the building itself did not collapse, but rather that slabs forming part of the staircase gave way as the building’s steel reinforcements were tampered with.”
The site has been a danger for several years and the department said that it was now in the final stages of securing a security service provider.
The department reminded community members not to access the buildings, as further damage and vandalism will only delay their construction.
“I plead with the community not to enter the site and to desist from removing any materials on the site,” human settlements MEC Tasneem Motara said.
“We have criminally charged those found stealing on site and will do so again should we find any criminal activity on site again,” the MEC added.
The Montrose Mega City project in Randfontein was launched in 2017 but has since failed to realise its proposed potential.
The fully completed project was meant to provide just over 10 500 units of varying sizes at a cost of R11 billion for the impoverished people of the surrounding informal settlements.
Infrastructure of any value that was installed has been stripped by vandals, while the unoccupied ruins are a haven for criminality and shelter for illegal miners.
The development remains a brick-and-mortar shell without basic utilities and only temporary water and sewerage infrastructure.
Only R467 million of that overall budget has been spent so far. However, the long-term human cost of the stalled project is yet to be realised.
In the aftermath of the incident, DA shadow MEC Evert du Plessis said the department had “blood on their hands”.
“Premier Lesufi’s government chose an incompetent company that has failed to deliver and is now holding this R11 billion project to ransom,” Du Plessis said.
ActionSA has also flagged the project’s wastefulness in recent months, joining the DA in calling for accountability and extensive investigations.
“In addition to being an infrastructure disaster, this project is a breach of public confidence and a waste of tax revenue that could have changed lives and supplied much-needed housing,” ActionSA’s Emma More said.
GDHS confirmed the housing project was still part of its plans, representing a “significant step in our commitment to delivering sustainable human settlements”.
The department stated that it is in contact with the landowner to discuss the way forward after the appointed developer was liquidated.
“The department will continue to update the community of any progress we make in this regard.
“We remain fully committed to the safe and successful completion of the Montrose Mega City development,” the department concluded.
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