According to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), a court judgement was delivered on May 20, in favour of EMM, but the appellant had 14 days to appeal the court judgement with the Constitutional Court.
“The appeal period lapsed on June 10, and the appellant formally lodged an appeal with the Constitutional Court on June 9. Therefore it must be noted the development will be suspended until the court appeal process is finalised.
“The court has not yet issued the court date for the appeal,” explains metro spokesman Themba Gadebe.
“The initial plan was to construct and install all municipal infrastructure, being water and sanitation, roads and storm water infrastructure and to relocate the beneficiaries with their shacks to serviced stands, until such time that funds were available to construct RDP houses.
“EMM has managed to secure funds to complete the development by constructing roads and storm water infrastructure and build RDP houses which beneficiaries will be relocated into,” he says.
Gadebe adds the construction of RDP houses had been on the municipality’s plan since the 2014/2015 financial year, but the construction of houses could not commence due to the then outstanding court process.
“The EMM had planned to commence with the construction of roads and storm water infrastructure in June, which was to be followed by construction of RDP houses in the third quarter of 2016/2017, however, now all construction activities have been suspended until the final Constitutional Court appeal judgement,” he says.
When the African Reporter asked, if the existing toilets are to be demolished, will the city not have wasted money Gadebe says, “Yes most unfortunately the municipality would have lost money that it could have used to improve lives of other communities in the informal settlements within Ekurhuleni.
“The municipality’s plan was and still is to ensure that lives of the communities who live in its informal settlements are improved.”
It is estimated that 1 115 houses will be built in this area set to cater for residents coming from the Gugulethu and Everest informal settlements.
The contractor has also already been appointed and is Mologadi-A-Nape Trading Enterprise.
Ward 72 Clr Ramesh Sheodin confirmed that this is what they were told, by the province and Ekurhuleni Department of Human Settlements.
“I asked the municipality to consider building RDP houses instead of relocating the residents of Gugulethu and Everest. They have now decided to build RDP houses where the toilets have been built.
“This will in a way satisfy the concerns of the neighbouring communities who have bonded houses.
“It will also meet the need for proper housing for some informal settlements in the area,” he says.
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