No, it's not a soccer village but the street names of Extension 7 in the Far East Bank in Alexandra.
Houses in Extension 7 are going up 50 at a time, and when the area is completed at the end of February, some 1,407 houses will be occupied by former shack dwellers.
Extension 7 is just one aspect of the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP), a seven-year, R1,3-billion project announced by President Thabo Mbeki in 2001, but extended in March 2007 by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa to March 2010.
But, says Neels Letter, a town planner and deputy director of the ARP, the problems of Alexandra will probably take 25 years to solve.
The compact township, established in 1912 and these days situated on prime land, is bursting at its seams with about 350,000 inhabitants. It has 19 schools, both primary and secondary; four primary healthcare clinics; three libraries, two adult and one children; 10 sports fields; six community halls; one technical college; one multi-purpose people's centre; one youth centre; one fire station; and a South African Police Service (SAPS) station.
One of the ARP's first major tasks was to remove some 8,400 families – 2,000 to Bram Fischerville and 6,400 to Diepsloot – before any work could begin. "That's the problem with Alex. Whatever you do requires removal of people," Letter says.
So people living in shacks on the floodplains of the Jukskei River and those living over underground service infrastructure and culverts had to be relocated. This year the Vasco da Gama Bridge was built – some 200 informal structures had to be removed before it could be built. But it's not complete – a shop owner won't budge so construction has slowed down.
Unlike the Cosmo City housing development to the north of the city, which is a green field project on vacant land, Alexandra is densely populated. But Letter, who has been working with the ARP since its inception in 2001, is optimistic that the township will undergo considerable change. "In a few years' time you won't recognise this place."
And in the place where those were removed from the river bank, a park now extends some 1,2 kilometres along the bank, with its swings and slides and green lawns offering children a welcome retreat from the crowded living conditions. In all, four new public parks have been developed.
The ambitious project entails the second re-development of the township since its establishment, from creating green open space, building libraries and sports stadiums, upgrading existing cemeteries, to skills development training and opening shopping centres.
But the major focus has been housing. "There can be no doubt that adequate housing is the number one indicator that will determine if the ARP has been a success or not," according to the ARP business plan.
And there have been successes. So far, 4,500 shack dwellers have been relocated to brick houses, vastly improving their quality of life. By 2010 it is hoped that 15,000 families will have a solid roof over their heads. The housing backlog has been estimated at 45,000 units.
The achievements in housing so far this year have been impressive: Extension 7 is nearing completion; not far away 520 rental units will be handed over to the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) at the end of January; the Bombani Safe House for Abused Women and Children has been revamped; and on the Far East Bank are the Extension 8 and 9 developments, which will add another 4,200 houses.
The ARP is jointly run by the Gauteng housing department and the City. The province gets funding from the national government and filters it downwards, supplying most of the cash for this project, with the City taking responsibility for the engineering services infrastructure. The private sector is also investing in the ARP. So far R1,3bn has been spent, excluding housing subsidies.
The project team consists of 15 technical and management staff, and 17 community liaison officers (CLOs). Project managers liaise closely with CLOs, who in turn consult with local communities, providing and collecting feedback and identifying disputes.
This development consists of RDP houses, built at a cost of R100k, which includes the roads, water, sanitation, electricity and street lights. They are semi-detached, which, says Letter, means that more houses could be built, resulting in a higher residential density.
The 36sq m houses consist of a kitchen and living area with a sink and prepaid electricity box, a small room with a toilet, and two bedrooms of 2,5m by 2,3m. The idea is to give the occupants a "core structure", according to Letter, upon which they can make additions.
Walls are bag washed, the floors are concrete, with a fibre-cement corrugated roof. A small yard has enough room to park a car and create a small garden. The houses are being painted bright mustards and plum colours.
Those who have occupied these houses were moved largely from the Alexandra Transit Village and the Iphuteng School Cluster, where they were living in factories. They don't pay for the houses and are given the title deeds, but have to pay for municipal services like water, electricity and refuse removal.
They have been built on a raft foundation, which means in essence that they float. The foundation is dug by means of trenches into the ground, which are reinforced with steel. This means that they will not crack.
People have been moving in throughout the year, and already gardens are established. Under a greening programme people were given grass, plants and two fruit trees each. The houses are already beginning to turn into homes, with garden walls, paving, and trees giving them an individuality that breaks the monotony of rows of identical houses.
Two women, who moved in last week, say they are happy being in a house with two bedrooms and an inside toilet.
The project has been 40% funded by the City, and 60% by the province. The City's agencies, like Joburg Roads Agency, Joburg City Parks and City Power, are involved in the project.
Some 520 rental units are nearing completion, to be occupied largely by single people presently living in shacks in Alexandra. The walled complex consists of 52 blocks of clusters of four, with each cluster consisting of 10 rooms, five on the ground floor, five on the first floor.
Each occupant lives in a room of 14sq m, and shares a communal bathroom and wash-up area. Each room has a concrete table built in one corner, and an electrical box with three plugs.
Security is evident - the windows are burglar-guarded, and each 10-room unit can be securely gated off, in addition to electric fencing around the complex and a card control system at the gate.
There is a crèche and community facility within the complex, with a playground. In time each set of units will be given a patch of garden on which to plant vegetables. Landscaped gardens will complete the picture. The rooms will be rented at R350 a month, excluding service charges.
Letter says that because the units are to be for rental use, they had to be robustly constructed. Marley floors will be laid.
These rooms have cost more than the Extension 7 houses: at R127k with a total cost of R78m. What's unique about this complex is that solar water geysers sit on top of each block, providing hot water to the communal bathrooms. Water catchment tanks have been installed at each of the clusters. They will collect rain water from the roofs, which will be used to irrigate the vegetable gardens.
Some 1,500 people will be housed in this complex. Two supervisors and a manager will live on the property.
Architect Colin Savage of Savage & Associates Architects, the company that has designed the complex, says this will be a model for social housing elsewhere. The land across the road has been earmarked for 160 rooms, including shops with upstairs accommodation.
Far East Bank Extension 9 and 10
This double-storey development cluster consists of six primary units, each with two upstairs bedrooms, and downstairs living and kitchen area, with a bathroom. A unique feature of this housing is that each unit has two attached rooms with outside ablution facilities that the homeowner can rent out.
It will be complete by July and will consist of 220 clusters, with 1,291 housing units with 2,156 attached rooms.
Alongside this development, Tsutsumani Village Extension 10 will rise on land that was initially earmarked for commercial use. Here 496 housing units - 330 rental rooms with shared ablutions - will be built. Construction starts this month.
Bombani Safe House
The Bombani Safe House has been redeveloped and now consists of 25 rooms, built for abused women and children, safe behind a high wall. They share ablution facilities and, in time, a public park will be developed alongside the property, for which they will take responsibility.
Other housing developments in Alexandra include 12 cluster homes housing 60 children in Extension 7, to be completed by March; and the transformation of the M2 hostel, from single rooms to 680 family units. So far 152 family units have been completed.
Future housing developments
Riverpark is another development, consisting of 450 single units with a mix of private and communal bathrooms. This development awaits funding.
Future plans include a new housing estate in Modderfontein, where a mix of residential tenure options will be developed, with 125 dwelling units per hectare, including primary and secondary schools, clinics, open spaces and libraries. Another nearby suburb, Linbro Park, will house the construction of 3,000 mixed units.
Some 1,000 mixed income flats are planned for Marlboro and the first 54 units will be completed by March.
A self-build housing programme is also on the drawing board. Under this plan, some 300 houses will be built by the community on small infill sites, with support given in terms of planning, building and the supply of building materials.
All these projects have been allocated to private contractors, overseen by Letter.
More than housing
But the ARP has other components too. One school has been completed and another one is under construction, while four new schools will be built and others will be upgraded, including school grounds and facilities.
Social facilities including a new police station and HIV/Aids clinic, the upgrading of Edenvale Hospital and municipal clinics have been completed. A new mental health clinic, a hospice and the upgrade of an old age home, clinics, community centres and sports facilities are on the cards.
The Altrek Mixed Sports complex consists of a rugby stadium and athletics field. The latter has been completed while work will soon begin on the stadium. The facility will eventually have a soccer field, a cricket oval, combi courts (combined tennis, netball and baseball courts), a traffic training centre and a BMX track.
Another sports complex, the No 3 Square, is being lined up for construction. It will consist of a skate park, combi courts and a football field. The Alexandra Stadium has already been upgraded. Once complete, there will be four sports complexes in the township.
A community hall and the conversion of the old M2 hostel hall is to be moved forward to this month. The Mandela Interpretation Centre, where the history of Alex is recorded, is largely complete. The centre will have a jazz archive, training and library facilities, and shops, stalls and restaurants.
The two cemeteries in Alex have already been upgraded. New parks and tree planting are also planned – so far 2,000 trees have been planted in the township. It is planned that in all 5,000 trees will be planted there.
A labour centre and a local business support centre have been completed and are operational. Tourism to Alex is to be encouraged. Seven heritage routes have been established, 15 graded B&Bs have been created and 12 tour guides have been trained.
In future city improvement districts will be demarcated and registered in Alex.
The Pan Africa Project is a new shopping centre and taxi rank now being built. It caters for 1,300 taxis, 8,000sq m of retail space and informal trading spaces. It is expected to open in September.
Jukskei River
Meanwhile, the Jukskei River rehabilitation programme is ongoing, as is the storm water master plan, where piping is being replaced to allow for greater numbers living in the township.
Pavement and road upgrading continues, while the upgrading of ablution facilities and an electricity master plan, in which the electrical network will be shifted from underground to overhead (to negate the illegal tapping of electricity), is ongoing. An air quality station is operational, to monitor the wood and coal burning that still takes place in the township.
Two pedestrian bridges and two road bridges over the Jukskei River have been completed while London Road/Arkwright Avenue and Rautenbach/Watt Street have both been upgraded. - Lucille Davie
Article courtesy of City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za).
Related articles
Readers' Comments
Have a comment or question about this article? Email us now..
Get up-to-date property news
Would you like to receive free weekly news and information about property in South Africa? Click here to register and sign up for Property24's Week in Review.
Property News
Click here for more property news articles.
Need a blog?
Start your own blog with a free blog from 24.com.
Print
