Westonaria Borwa residents receive 150 houses
150 subsidised housing units were handed over to community members in Westonaria.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura was one of many honorable guests at the handing over of 150 subsidised housing units in Westonaria recently.
The housing development known as the Westonaria Borwa Community Construction Contract is a partnership between Gold Fields and the Westonaria Local Municipality and part of the Westonaria Service Delivery Improvement Plan.
Gold Fields funded and managed the development amounting to R27,4 million.
The Westonaria Local Municipality will assign the 150 two-bedroom houses to members of the community in accordance with government procedures of identifying and creating a waiting list of beneficiaries. Gold Fields, however, made a special request for priority to be given to vulnerable groups already on the waiting list. These include the elderly, disabled individuals or child-headed homes.
Through the fully serviced units, the Borwa community will have access to amenities such as electricity and running water. Makhura said no one must pay to receive a government house; those who demand money for the houses are corrupt and will be dealt with harshly.
“As we celebrate the beginning of the handover process, we want to send out a strong message that we are a development-thirsty government and we are going to forge ties with stakeholders to make land available and provide housing for people in Gauteng.
“We are committed to clean administration. The era of getting RDP houses due to nepotism or corruption has come to an end in the province. We must be transparent with everything we do,” Makhura said during his speech.
This project is part of a 1 200-home development at Westonaria Borwa and aims to uplift Bekkersdal, following violent service delivery protests in the area over the past two years. Gold Fields, together with Sibanye Gold, has donated a piece of land and committed to building a 28-classroom school for the community of Bekkersdal over the next few years.
Makhura praised the mining company on the contribution they’ve made and urged them to do more and made a call to other companies to do the same.
The handover of the houses came after residents of Westonaria took government to court after allegations were made of corruption regarding the waiting list.
“The matter was settled out of court. An auditing firm was appointed to investigate the waiting list. I can proudly say all has been deemed fair and there is no problem with the auditors,” Makhura added, getting a very loud applause from all attending the event.
According to Gold Fields their housing project sourced labour from communities within the surrounding areas; 220 new jobs were created for a period of almost two years. Each contract worker received formal training in basic building, which included laying bricks, plumbing, tiling and carpentry.
Commenting on the impact of the project, executive vice president for Gold Fields South Africa Region, Nico Muller said, “This project has made a meaningful contribution to job creation, upliftment of local communities, poverty alleviation and empowerment. Lack of service delivery has long troubled the Bekkersdal community and Gold Fields saw this as an opportunity for business to work in partnership with the Westonaria Local Municipality and directly assist community improvement in the area. It has been a pleasure working with the municipality and we look forward to future engagement and collaboration.”
The Department of Human Settlements also has launched a sewerage network improvement project in Bekkersdal. A clean-up campaign and a new secondary school in the area also are in the pipeline.
“Our actions in Bekkersdal are a clear testimony of government’s commitment to turning Bekkersdal around and to ensuring that we bring services to the people. The Bekkersdal we are turning around will be one of peace and where images of violent service delivery protests never will be seen again,” Jacob Mamabolo, Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements said.
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