This week, human settlements MEC Lebogang Maile symbolically handed over of five of the 300 houses to residents.
“We have 86 beneficiaries who are supposed to get houses but because we do not have time, we are only going to give five of them today, as a symbolic gesture but we can assure you that the others will also get their houses,” he said.
Maile said it was a multi-year project where they planned to build 1 200 houses each year, until the target of 17 000 houses was reached.
Doris Munyai and her children at her new house.
“We promised to build 17 000 houses and we are going to have 17 000 families in this new township.”
He said that while the government has been providing houses, there were 1.2 million people on the waiting list for houses in Gauteng.
“Gauteng is attractive to a lot of people because of the opportunities. We cannot tell them to go back home but it is not possible for everyone to get a house. Every year, we have about 230 000 people that come to Gauteng. We have built about 1.2 million houses since 1994 in Gauteng.”
Maile said the government was considering the rapid land release programme where people can get land and they can build their own houses.
Marcus Nkabinde and MEC Maile
“There are some people who say they will be able to build their own houses if given the land. So those people who want to build houses for themselves, the government will get them land, help them to design the houses, connect electricity and water and the area will have good roads. This can go a long way forwards solving the housing problems.”
He urged locals to co-operate with each other to take advantages of opportunities for economic growth in the new township.
“According to research, about R100 million circulates in townships but unfortunately none of it goes into the pockets of the locals.”
Lebogang Maile and Sithembiso Twala
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.zaor phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
