City abandons new plans

City of Johannesburg’s new plans to expropriate abandoned factories and turn them into low-cost housing may be an answer to Alexandra’s ongoing human settlement problems.

The City has recently revealed that it has identified a new prospect of adding 37 abandoned factories in different regions on the list of properties to be redeveloped into low-cost housing. Mayor Herman Mashaba announced that 16 of the 37 identified factories were in close proximity of Alexandra township.

“Of particular interest are 16 factories identified in close proximity to Alexandra, offering the much-needed opportunity to reduce the density of settlement in this under-developed township,” said Mashaba.

Alexandra has seen a spade of protests in the past few months when the Alex Shutdown movement protested against a number of issues including the mushrooming of illegal structures and the over population in the township.

Other abandoned factories are allocated in Kew, Devland, Rabie Ridge, Doornfontein, Booysens and Nancefield. The 37 abandoned factories will be given to the private sector to develop into nearly 3 000 housing units in multi-storey buildings.

The factories are earmarked to add to the existing 84 buildings which are already awarded to developers across the inner city and expected to generate R21 billion in investment. Furthermore, he said this would add to the City’s efforts to address the housing backlog across Johannesburg. A number of 70 more buildings will be awarded to developers by September this year.

Mashaba said the City will commence with the process of preparing a proposal to Council in August to seek approval to expropriate the factories. “These factories will be expropriated within the existing legal framework of the Constitution. For this we will utilise the fact that they are abandoned, owners are untraceable and monies owing on these properties exceed their value,” added Mashaba.

He further said that once approval has been granted, the City will begin with the tender process.