Malacca families rejoice at housing allocation
39 houses will be allocated to residents of the Malacca Road Informal Settlement at Cornubia 1B Development.
THERE was an air of jubilation at the Malacca Road Informal Settlement last week as it was announced the housing department would be relocating 39 families to the Cornubia development. uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, said the houses at the 1 200-hectare development are valued between R200 000 and R250 000. The houses comprise of a bathroom, kitchen and two bedrooms. The residents are expected to be moved in September this year.
Cornubia is strategically located between Durban’s wealthier Mt Edgecombe and Umhlanga areas and disadvantaged areas north of the city such as Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Phoenix, Ottawa and Waterloo.
“I was contacted by the housing department to say 39 houses would be allocated to residents of the Malacca Road at Cornubia 1B Development. The standard of the houses is fantastic and this great news for the residents of the informal settlement. However, it has somewhat been soured a little by the news that more shacks have sprung up in the area in the meantime. There’s a court order saying no more shacks could be built.
“The housing department initially did a survey on the numbers from almost a year ago. So there have been more shacks that have been constructed since then. I will be lobbying for more houses for the residents but there are people from other settlements who are also on the list for new housing,” he said.
Although the names of the families who have been allocated homes in Cornubia have not been released, de Boer is confident the process will be finalised by September.
“Once the families are moved the shacks they used to live in will be demolished. The move will also afford residents job opportunities at Cornubia, which is an added bonus,” he said.
Eric Mjaja, chairperson of the Malacca Road Informal Settlement committee, said he was excited about the news.
“We are very happy to be finally moving. It means a lot to all of us who have been living in shacks for so long. My hope is that all the people will find a home at Cornubia,” Majaja said.
