G'teng housing needs fresh approach

Housing stakeholders from across Gauteng put their heads together at a two-day housing summit to take a fresh look at housing challenges, and to find ways of speeding up the process.

The growing housing need across the province requires a new approach, delegates heard at the opening of a two-day summit on housing in Gauteng.

With recent service delivery protests still fresh in the mind, practical solutions to the housing backlog are necessary.

"We need to communicate our plans to communities to avoid the service delivery protests we have witnessed recently," said Nomvula Mokonyane, the MEC for housing, adding that the summit would lead to "better and efficient ways to accelerate breaking new ground in housing delivery within the global city region approach".

The second Gauteng housing summit took place on 24 and 25 July in Ekurhuleni, with the theme "Building a global city region through sustainable human settlements beyond 2009". Gauteng's department of housing organised the summit, which was attended by more than 500 representatives from municipal and provincial government alike.

It was held to find ways to accelerate and consolidate the provision of housing, and deal with the housing backlogs experienced throughout the province. Organisers hoped to establish greater intergovernmental co-operation between all key players involved in housing delivery.

Uhuru Nene, the executive director of housing in the City of Johannesburg, said her unit was working on a "very rough" estimate of 450,000 housing units required for Johannesburg overall, of which about 70,000 were in the inner city. The city has a target of building 100,000 houses during this mayoral term, ending in 2010.

Paul Ntsooa, the regional head of housing in Region A, said the biggest challenge in his region was dealing with informal settlements on privately owned land. There was also no government-owned land available for housing developments. "More than 60% of informal settlements [in the area] are situated on private property."

Similar housing challenges faced Region G, said Thulani Nkosi, that region's head of housing. The area also had a number of informal settlements on privately owned land. "With the global city region the planning, funding and implementation [of housing] should be centralised."

Summit outcomes
It was declared at the summit that the province needed to develop more effective processes to acquire and bank well-located land. Mokonyane said Gauteng would promote strategic densification around economic nodes and transport routes.

Further, a central planning mechanism at provincial level must be developed, with powers and functions assigned accordingly, delegates heard.

To speed up delivery and development time frames, housing-related processes in provincial and municipal government and other related institutions, such as the surveyor-general and deeds offices, would be standardised.

Mokonyane highlighted the five flagship housing programmes for the province.

Mixed-housing
Mixed-housing developments should receive preference over the one-size-fits-all approach of past housing developments, she said. Such initiatives should be closer to economic nodes and encourage greater social and racial integration.

"A total of 10 projects forms part of our delivery strategy, including Olivenhoutbosch Ext 36; Nelmapius Ext 6, 7 and 8; Thorntree View; Middelvlei/Droogeheuwel; Chief Albert Luthuli Ext 6; Kagiso/Azaadville; Westonaria South; Cosmo City and Doornkop."

In his State of the City address earlier this year, executive mayor Amos Masondo said the City of Johannesburg would deliver 50,000 mixed-income housing units over the next four years through various private and public partnerships.

One such project was discussed by Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu in parliament on Wednesday, 25 July. That development was planned for an area west of Soweto and would comprise of 25,000 housing units consisting of "mixed-income, mixed-design and mixed-tenure options", Sisulu said.

Informal settlements
Eradicating informal settlements is a presidential priority and is a key Gauteng housing project. The provincial housing department has identified 145 informal settlements across the province that can be upgraded on the sites they presently occupy. Another 209 informal settlements will be relocated to areas already identified.

The current confirmed figure for informal settlements in Johannesburg is 235. Of these, 52 are targeted for formalisation in 2007. Another 31 will be relocated to major development projects such as Lehae, Cosmo City, Pennyville and Doornkop. "It is our expressed goal to complete the eradication of informal settlements by 2014," Mokonyane said.

Another flagship programme focuses on alternative tenure. Gauteng and Johannesburg in particular, is home to transient communities who do not necessarily require permanent accommodation. Gauteng's housing department is looking at accelerating the promotion of alternative tenure by developing more rental units.

Johannesburg, through the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco), will deliver 15,000 rental housing units in this mayoral term.

Old townships
The final two priorities focus on existing townships. Some 20 old townships in the province have been earmarked for regeneration, and only two, Orlando and Zola, are in Johannesburg.

The others are scattered around the province. They are Atteridgeville/Sauseville, Soshanguve, Mamelodi, Kagiso, Munsieville, Mohlakeng, Boipatong, Bophelong, Sharpeville, Sebokeng, Ratanda, Katlehong, Kwatsuduza (KwaThema, Tsakane and Duduza), Watville, Daveyton, Tembisa, Refilwe and Rethabiseng.

"In keeping with the global city region concept, the 20 Priority Township Programme (20PTP) focuses on exposing these previously marginalised townships to economic growth opportunities," a media statement by the officer in the Gauteng department of housing read.

"The short-term focus will be on dealing with addressing infrastructure in schools, health and community facilities in all the identified townships."

At the end of the programme, which is envisaged to run until 2009/10, all roads in these townships would have been tarred.

Closely linked to the programme is the ongoing urban renewal of Alexandra, Evaton and Bekkersdal. The main thrust of these renewal projects is to improve drastically service delivery, including sanitation, housing and social facilities such as clinics and police stations.

Working together
Mokonyane expressed the hope that the summit would strengthen partnerships between government departments and across municipalities.
"It is, therefore, imperative that our departmental strategies and plans are aligned to the vision of building Gauteng as a globally competitive city region."

The first housing summit was held in July 2005 and Mokonyane believed that most of the resolutions made two years ago had been implemented. "From June 2004 to October 2006 we [Gauteng housing] made tremendous strides."

Some of the success stories she related were building more than 160,000 new houses, improving the lives of over 600,000 Gauteng residents through the provision of infrastructure and housing, providing 100,000 serviced stands with basic water and sanitation and transferring 43,407 properties to rightful owners.

In addition, the department provided 96% of households with free basic water and 78% with free electricity, and implemented 282 community infrastructure projects, including water, sanitation, storm water drainage, lighting, solid waste and community facilities. - Emily Visser

Article courtesy of City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za).

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