New Plastic View construction halted – because of printing error
The construction of a new township intended to house people from the Plastic View informal settlement was put on temporary hold - because of a printing error.
The construction of a new township intended to house people from the Plastic View informal settlement was put on temporary hold – because of a printing error.
The new formal settlement was planned to be established in Pretorius Park extension 40, east of Woodlands shopping mall.
This as the municipality has been ordered to re-advertise the application to have the new township established, according to Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo
“The gazette erroneously published notices on the table of contents, but not the gazette itself,” he said.
“Therefore, a complete notice did not appear on the gazette as intended.”
City officials, who give approval of any development on municipal land, said the notices were not published within 28 days after a notice allowing public participation was issued.
The application for the township was done for more than 800 units; however, the power of attorney had given the metro instruction for the development of only 600 units.
“If the application for the more than 800 units continues, then there must be a resolution from the council,” he said.
It was recommended the metro amend the application and re-advertise it.
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Previously, Mashigo told Rekord a service provider has been appointed to establish the “mixed residential township”.
Over the years, the Plastic View squatter camp has been in the news for anything from gangsterism and deadly fires to court battles over the relocation of the residents.
In 2009, the High Court in Pretoria made a series of orders aimed at the relocation or regularisation of the informal settlement.
An environmental assessment was granted by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, stating that it was satisfied with the assessment and that activities would not interfere with the general integrated environmental management laid down in the national environmental act.
This authorisation also stated that the activity at the intended township must commence within 10 years from the date of issue of the environmental assessment.
The authorisation was granted in November 2018.
The township will be built only a few metres from the Plastic View informal settle on the remaining portion of what is known as Farm Garsfontein.
“The site is located 900 metres away from the informal settlement,” said Mashigo.
“The development site has among other things has been identified as a resettlement area to accommodate the beneficiaries from Plastic View informal settlement.”
Mashigo said the development was part of the metro’s objective to dismantle “apartheid spatial patterns”.
He said the development conformed to the 2014 national development plan, the 2016 Gauteng spatial development framework as well as the 2014 regional spatial development framework.
All relevant assessments, including flood-line investigations, traffic impact as well as public meetings, were completed.
Once the application has been re-advertised and approved, Mashigo said construction would begin.
Shack markings have already been completed and the residents’ registration process was also completed.
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A total of 853 families reside in Plastic View informal settlement, but only 151 families qualify to reside at the new township.
Forty-one people were recorded to have ownership of a residential property; some had been approved for a subsidy in other projects, which could be in other provinces and some had incorrect personal details.
“It is clear from the shack-marking and beneficiary registration process that the majority of residents are outside the prescripts as set out by the housing code,” Mashigo said.
He said the city was still engaging relevant stakeholders including home affairs to help on all foreign nationals not falling within the category of housing code and all applicable legislation.
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