Undeveloped land must be expropriated to accommodate the growing population in adequate human settlements, executive mayor of Ekurhuleni Clr Mzwandile Masina said at the recent Metropolis annual meeting.
The meeting was held at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Speaking as one of the panellists under the topic of inclusive settlement development, Masina indicated that while the metro is rolling out serviced stands and rental stock projects as part of the municipality’s strategies to provide adequate human settlements, the expropriation of undeveloped land is also another option.
“We will tap into exploring options of expropriating land that has remained unused and undeveloped since 1994 in the interest of promoting inclusive human settlement,” Masina said.
Among the projects that are currently underway that the mayor alluded to, is the allocation of serviced stands so that communities living in congested informal settlements are settled in areas where their dignity is restored by having basic services, such as electricity, roads and water.
The metro has a target of providing 6 000 rental stock units during the current term of office.
Some units are already finished and occupied in the Germiston city centre.
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This is to cater for residents who are not ready to buy a house and those who previously had little means to live in the CBD, closer to work.
The 6 000 rental stock target for the five-year term will double the number of rental stock units that the metro already has.
The Metropolis annual meeting hosted mayors from international cities and local cities, leaders of national and regional governments, as well as global development partners.
The meeting was held with the recognition that local governments are major players in the global response to the urban challenges of the century.
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