Housing and land challenges to be properly managed says mayor
“Housing was plagued by poor planning, lack of co-ordination, insufficient capacity and a failure to adequately monitor the implementation of government policies.”
Ekurhuleni Mayor Sivuyile Ngondwana committed himself to address land and housing challenges.
“The prioritisation of land requires the city equally ensure equitable land management and reintegrate informal settlements with infrastructure and services via planning and design.”
He said housing was plagued by poor planning, a lack of coordination, insufficient capacity, a failure to adequately monitor the implementation of government policies and a lack of political will.
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He said CoE commits to:
• Providing serviced stands targeting employed youth and professionals who can build their own houses.
• Providing houses mainly for the 1990s applicants, especially pensioners, backyard dwellers, people with disabilities and verified and accredited military veterans.
• Delivering decent and affordable rental stock for professionals and the middle class in collaboration with the private sector.
• Repossessing illegally occupied and redundant buildings and subjecting them to private-public partnership development for social housing, recreation and job-creating economic activities.
• Releasing three strategic land parcels for the development of black-owned estates.
• Committing the Ekurhuleni Housing Company to collect revenue to sustain itself.
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“There should also be a thoroughly conducted land audit that will entail three facets. The city identifies dormant, unused land that is there because of outdated property laws that infringe on the rights of the landless.
“This type of land must immediately be brought under the purview of the portfolio responsible for land, housing and human settlements and all channels to donate this land to the people who need it,” said Ngondwana.
