21 February 2006

By Ndaba Dlamini

DESPITE the choking heat, the huge white tent was brimful and people spilled out on to the Alexandra Altrek Sports Ground, waiting in anticipation for Joburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa and the Gauteng MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane, to appear.

It seemed like the whole of Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg, had turned up to witness the launch of the Extension 7 housing project and the handing over of title deeds to residents on Saturday, 18 February.

Eventually, a burst of song from a group of women wearing yellow and black T-shirts pierced the stifling heat, signalled the arrival of the mayor and the beginning of an historical moment in the lives of some Alexandra residents.

"This is an important occasion for the township. Today we will be handing over 60 title deeds to Alex residents and launching the Alexandra Extension 7 project, the first of a series of housing projects aimed at resolving the housing crisis," said Masondo during his opening speech.

He said in the last meeting between Alex residents and Gauteng and City officials late in 2005, Alex residents had made it clear that the provision of housing had to be accelerated.

"The City and the provincial housing department are aware of these issues and together with the community we will continue to seek innovative ways and appropriate interventions. In order to make things happen, we have to impose a moratorium on the sale of land to private developers on well-located land and adhere to the 1996-1997 housing list."

In addition to the Extension 7 housing project, the second housing project at Alexandra Extension 5 has started and the third project, K206, will begin shortly. "These new projects will take on this challenge of providing good, high density living environments," Masondo said.

The Extension 7 housing project would provide 1 400 housing units and it would increase the density (the number of people benefiting) from under 40 houses per hectare to 75 houses per hectare. But this was still not enough, according to Masondo. The City had to find ways to procure more land.

Some land has been identified to cater for the needs of the township. These are three infill sites close to Alex, namely Portion 31 Zandfontein, erf 54 to 57 Kelvin and erf Edenberg. These sites will be used for mixed-income housing developments that will include "mixed tenure" options.

In addition to providing housing for hundreds of Alex residents, the Extension 7 housing project has created employment for 300 residents. About 600 people had been trained in construction, the majority of whom were now employed by construction companies in Joburg, Masondo said.

Taking to the stage, Shilowa said there were still too many people living in shacks and backyard shacks in Alex. In response to grumbling from the crowd, he said the Alexandra Renewal Project would take seven years and not every Alex resident could be catered for within a short space of time.

"Last year I promised you that the project would be completed in seven years and I stand by my promise that people will be properly accommodated within this period."

Shilowa said there were stumbling blocks to achieving the goal of providing accommodation for all in Alex. "People from afar hear that there is development in Alex and they have come in droves to the township, greatly exacerbating the overcrowding problem. That is why I cannot finish the project."

Shilowa added: "Unemployment is rife and a barrier to development. But there are efforts to create employment opportunities because by the end of March a call centre will be opening in Wynberg and matriculants from Alex will, hopefully, be gainfully employed."

The construction of the Gautrain would also provide much-needed employment opportunities for Alex residents because construction work would take place close to the township, he added.

After the speeches it was time to hand over the title deeds to their homes to residents – and ululations and much joy was heard when Masondo and Shilowa gave the proud recipients their papers.

After the handing-over ceremony, Masondo and Shilowa, accompanied by Mokonyane, went on a tour of Extension 7, where a Reconstruction and Development Programme house was handed over to an ecstatic new owner, Dolly Mdhluli.

 

Source: Joburg