Rumours of a low-cost housing project below Mpati, adjacent to the bottom of Smith Street, have been dismissed.
Speaking at a Ward 2 community meeting, Councillor Thulani Mahaye, said he wanted ‘to make it quite clear’ that there are no plans to build RDP homes in this area’.
Rumours of a low-costing development surfaced when construction started to tar MacPhail Drive in Craigieburn. Residents thought this was in preparation of houses being built in the area.
Councillor Mahaye said he has had several successful meetings with Craigieburn residents to allay fears that the re-building of MacPhail Drive will create a by-pass and disrupt their ‘semi-urban, peaceful living’.
“More meetings will be held to ensure residents are informed of all developments,” he reiterated. Commenting on more developments in Ward 2, Councillor Mahaye said construction to the R38-million disaster management centre, adjacent to the airfield is nearing completion, and he hoped that several local people will be employed there.
The vegetable ‘packhouse’ to store vegetables grown in the Tandy Street garden is also being built. However, he did say that the project needs ‘more life breathed into it’ as there are ‘only a couple of older people working there and they need assistance’.
There are plans by the Department of Sport and Recreation to erect an indoor sports centre, near the Rural Horse Riding Track, while tenders have been called for to rebuild Argyle and Browning Streets that have been destroyed by trucks.
“We also need to make sure the coal truck route is in motion to keep heavy vehicles out of the central business district,” Councillor Mahaye said.