A few lucky Fleurhof community members were able to sleep soundly on Wednesday, 26 August, knowing that they are officially property owners.
Ward 70 councillor, Caleb Finn, graciously welcomed the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Executive Mayor, Geoff Makhubo, and MMC for Housing, Mlungisi Mabaso, to Fleurhof where they would hand over the keys to 40 beneficiaries of RDP housing.
Caleb extended warm welcomes to the councillors, community members, media personnel and law-enforcement officials that were in attendance of the handover. He expressed his immense relief that units were finally being allocated to beneficiaries saying, “We have a painful history in our country when it comes to housing, but today is a day for celebration because we have reached a milestone in the Fleurhof Housing Project”.
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He continued to reassure those who were still waiting for housing that this would not be the last Ward 70 sees of the Mayor and MMC, and many more units will be allocated in the future.
Fleurhof is one of Gauteng’s largest Integrated Housing Projects, with a total of 21 000 people who registered between 1996 and 1999 expected to benefit from the various developments.
Even though 112 units were ready on 26 August, and an additional 96 units are set to be completed within the first week of September, beneficiaries needed to be allocated their homes in phases due to social-distancing regulations. MMC Mabaso assured everyone in attendance that all units would be allocated by the end of October.
Mabaso expressed his regret that these units have remained vacant for so long, but made it clear that this is only because they were still being completed. The units still do not have a permanent supply of electricity, but provisions have been made for temporary electricity while the substation is being built.
Mayor @GeoffMakhubo gives a stern warning to those invading land and housing units in the @CityofJoburgZA #GrowingGautengTogether #LandInvasions #RestoringDignity pic.twitter.com/8ET7eTDNEj
— GP_HumanSettlements (@GP_DHS) August 26, 2020
He went on to address the issue of illegal invasions that had occurred in these units a few weeks ago, leading to several units being damaged. He was met with deafening applause when he stated that the Housing Department would not be intimidated by threats. “We cannot allow anarchy and lawlessness,” he said.
The Mayor echoed these remarks, saying that intimidation from people who feel they are entitled to units will not be tolerated. “You were born in 1996, but now you want to take away a home from someone who has been waiting for theirs since this time. It will not stand,” said the Mayor.
While these sentiments were appreciated by all those inside the gates of the complex, EFF protesters gathered in the streets outside of the event to protest the allocation process. While the large group of people were not violent in their protest, their immense anger was clearly visible.
As the Government of Local Unity, we shall continuously be handing over houses to qualifying housing beneficiaries. To those still waiting for their houses, lemini iyeza nakuwe #WeServeJoburg pic.twitter.com/0CAc7wm5hq
— Geoff Makhubo (@GeoffMakhubo) August 26, 2020
The beneficiaries in attendance seemed unbothered by any unrest; tears of joy filled their eyes and cries of joy filled the air as the elderly people walked in to their first homes.
Mayor Makhubo ended off the event by urging the beneficiaries to look after their properties, and thanking them for remaining patient. He encouraged those who are still waiting for their homes to be patient and wait for the allocation process to unfold.
