A new township between Soweto and Kagiso would be bigger than Cosmo City, north of Johannesburg, the department of housing said on Tuesday.
The township of Lufherani, the Venda word for the place where people gather, would have 24,000 housing opportunities, said department spokesman Victor Moreriane.
Lufherani was launched on Tuesday by Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo, and local government and housing MEC Kgaogelo Lekgoro.
They handed over new houses to six women who were first-time homeowners.
The township was created to provide a sustainable community for people waiting for homes in Soweto, the department said in a statement.
Spokesman Fred Mokoko said Lufherani was located close to economic opportunities and would provide residents with social and economic amenities such as schools, crèches, churches, clinics, parks and business nodes.
"The development is also set to foster social cohesion by providing housing for the poorest of the poor, affordable housing for other low income households and middle-to-high income bonded housing stock for the general market earning between R3500 to R10,000 per month," he said.
Low-cost (RDP) houses would form half of the project and beneficiaries would be people from a 1996/1997 housing demand database in the area and residents from the Protea South informal settlement.
Small farmers from the Doornkop farming community, and who were currently on the development land, would be integrated into the township.
The agricultural focus would be on small-scale, intensive field farming and commercial hydroponics, targeted mainly at Black Economic Empowerment small farmer development.
Mokoko said the first phase of the project would include the development of 2433 freehold stands, detached, semi-detached and row-house units, 1192 of which were earmarked solely for RDP homes.
Other land uses included social, institutional, commercial, municipal and public open space.
Over 15 primary and secondary schools and more than 60 community facilities, churches and crèches were planned. - Sapa
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