MIDVAAL – During his 2025 State of the Municipality Address, Midvaal Local Municipality Mayor Peter Teixeira announced that the municipality has officially applied for Level 1 housing accreditation, signaling its readiness to take a more active role in delivering RDP housing to residents.
Mayor Teixeira explained that this accreditation would empower the municipality to carry out specific functions of the national housing program under provincial oversight.
These responsibilities include subsidy budget planning, submitting housing projects for approval, managing beneficiaries, and handling subsidy registration and documentation.
“A service provider has been appointed to assist with the process,” he said. “This milestone will grant the municipality greater control over housing delivery, ensuring better alignment with local priorities, Integrated Development Plans, and Spatial Development Frameworks.”
Teixeira emphasised Midvaal’s strong track record in utilising grants and budgets efficiently, adding that with increased control, housing delivery would be more accelerated and effective.
The announcement was met with positivity, especially as the municipality faces a major housing backlog in the Sicelo area.
“In response, we are working closely with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, which remains the implementing agent for housing delivery in Midvaal,” he added.
The mayor also provided residents with updates on several ongoing housing projects. He noted that some challenges persist, particularly in Sicelo, where certain residents have previously benefited from other housing projects. This disqualifies them from receiving new allocations under current system regulations.
Among the highlighted developments was the Erf 78 Meyerton Farms Phase 2 Project, which will provide 540 housing opportunities. According to Teixeira, engineering services for the project are 95% complete, and construction on 23 residential blocks has already begun.
In addition, the municipality is collaborating with the provincial government on four other major housing initiatives. Teixeira also addressed issues surrounding the Mamello Housing Development, which is facing delays, and the Savanna Housing Development, which is constrained by bulk infrastructure limitations.
On the matter of illegal land occupation, the mayor revealed that a Land Invasion Policy is currently being drafted to improve land governance. The policy is expected to be finalized and adopted by the end of June 2025.
