By Rose Setshoge
LIVING on an industrial site, and threatened by sinkholes and industrial pollution, the residents of Harry Gwala informal settlement in Wattville, Benoni have for years lived in a tenuous state.
However, their worries are now over. The Ekurhuleni Metro, in partnership with the Dunswart Utility Company, is helping to build new houses in Chief Albert Luthuli Park, near Daveyton, for the Harry Gwala residents.
The R19-million housing development, known as Chief Albert Luthuli Park Extension Four, was formally launched at the end of July. Extension Four has been established on Portion 28 of the farm Modderfontein, in Cloverdene.
The settlement is named after Chief Albert Luthuli, South Africa's first winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace and the president of the ANC until his death in 1967.
So far more than 600 families have moved to the new houses.
Dunswart initiated the move because, according to Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, the Harry Gwala settlement "is situated on undermined land which is also encumbered by industrial waste – making it unsafe for the hundreds of people living there".
The company bought land at Chief Albert Luthuli and installed essential services for 710 stands.
The Metro appointed a company, Urban Dymanics, to run a community builders programme, where local construction companies were appointed to erect the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses, using local labour and materials.
RDP houses are free, with essential services also provided. Each household receives 50 kW of electricity and six kilolitres of water free each month. Additional amounts are being charged if an individual consumed beyond the free basic services provided by the municipality.
Once built, RDP houses are allocated to owners and the government provides the homeowners with the title deeds.
Extension Four consists of 1 514 stands and has been divided into 12 blocks of between 50 and 150 units.
Although there was an initial reluctance on the part of the Harry Gwala residents to move, the metro and the company met them to work through any objections and give them reasons why such a move would be worth their while.
According to Dlamini, the Metro anticipates there should be enough houses in Extension Four to accommodate more than just the former residents of Harry Gwala. It will also be able to accommodate people from the surrounding informal settlements of Egypt, Beachfront and Emandleni.
The housing project is expected to be completed by the end of August.
For more information, contact Zweli Dlamini on 011 820 4041.
Source: www.ekurhuleni.gov.za
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