The new Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi and the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Urban Planning and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Lebogang Maile visited four mega housing developments across the West Rand to check their progress on Monday August 30.
Also read: WATCH: Montrose City Mega Development progresses in Middelvlei
The four sites they visited were Elijah Barayi Mega Project (Carletonville); Montrose Mega City Development (Middelvlei); Dan Tloome Project (Merafong); and Brick Valley Project in Mogale City.
Maile said because of its economic activity, people flood to Gauteng to find jobs, which in turn leaves the province with the challenge to allocate land and provide housing to its citizens.
“That’s why we have implemented a multi-pronged approach we call the Rapid Land Release Programme,” Maile added.
Minister Kubayi who was appointed earlier in August after a cabinet reshuffle by President Cyril Ramaphosa said as soon as she has learnt the ropes, she’ll help to improve things by resolving backlogs so that people get roofs over their heads.
“Although we have limited resources, we want to make sure that we spend it appropriately,” the minister added.
Asked about the status of Montrose in Middelvlei in Randfontein, MEC Maile, who visited the development in April earlier this year said there were some improvements and progress after his office resolved issues causing delays.
However, Maile also said different developments may have their own challenges – this may range from geological issues to a dispute between a developer and a contractor.
We are here today to ensure that these problems are solved. Our people have all the right to be upset and frustrated because this is a big problem in our province, but the problem is getting solved,” Maile said.
The Herald mentioned to the minister that almost a year after the Montrose City Mega Development had been launched, houses in the area were still standing empty, and some were incomplete, to which the minister responded that it was irregular and it shouldn’t be the case.
