Familes move into Cornubia Housing Project

ONE hundred and fifty-four families have been allocated homes at the city’s Corunubia Human Settlements Project near Mount Edgecombe.

Councillor Nigel Gumede, member of the Executive Committee and chairperson of the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee visited the project last week to congratulate the beneficiaries who were transported via municipal trucks to their new homes from various informal settlements around eThekwini. There was much excitement as they were handed keys to their new homes.

The R25 billion housing and industrial project is set to house people from different parts of eThekwini while adopting the human settlements approach of integrating people from all walks of life and building an environment with easy accessibility of amenities. The mixed use project also includes an industrial area and retail, schools, clinics and other public amenities.

The first batch of the allocation process for Phase 1A, which has yielded 482 units and cost R102 million, started on Thursday last week and was completed on Saturday.

Gumede said the allocation of beneficiaries marked an important milestone in the history of housing delivery in South Africa. He said the project would achieve social integration as it will consist of low cost, middle income and upmarket housing.

He said the municipality would educate residents about maintaining the area in a good condition. “We want to retain and maintain the type of quality, neatness and cleanliness at Cornubia. The project is on its way to completion with grass and play lots in the pipeline. The project will be monitored closely to ensure that the allocation process takes place properly and there is no selling or renting of houses,” he said.

He said various informal settlements including Blackburn, Stonebridge, Ridgeview and 13th Street in Clermont as well as transit camps, would be relocated to the first phase of the housing project. He said Ridgeview informal settlement is to be completely demolished and closed off as all residents will be moved to Cornubia. The area will then be rehabilitated.

A beneficiary, Simangele Mhlongo who lived in Phola Park in Phoenix, could not describe her joy as a housing unit was allocated to her.

“The challenges that I faced at the informal settlement have been left behind and life has completely transformed. I will not have to deal with flooding if it rains or the burning down of houses. Here, I have all the basic services like electricity and water in my new home with proper ablution facilities,” she said. With the industrial area that is under construction near the housing project, Mhlongo hopes for better employment opportunities.

Construction of the next phase 1B, which is expected to yield 2186 housing units at a cost of about R560 million, is expected to start soon.