Johannesburg Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC), Mlungisi Mabaso has been handed a boost in the race to provide housing in the city. The Council of the City of Johannesburg recently approved submissions of the Serviced Stands Draft Policy. The approval was in line with Minister of Human Settlement, Lindiwe Sisulu’s announcement that government plans to provide housing through the Land Release Programme.
Mabaso said the provision of serviced stands would help ease the City’s ‘half a million’ backlog.
“It has been known and we have said it very publicly that we have a massive backlog. This is something that concerns us as a department – we want to help people get housing, and that is why it is important to be able to provide these stands. If we can at least give people land to build for themselves, it reduces dependency on government,” he said.
It is important to note, however, that criteria would have to be met for an applicant to get a serviced stand. While low-income earners will be given a stand, those who earn medium to higher will have to purchase it at a market price should their application be successful.
[also read] – MMC Mabaso reveals 2021 plans for Soweto
If all goes to plan, the serviced stands will have permanently installed infrastructures such as water, electricity, sanitation, and roads. Mabaso and his team have set themselves a deadline for the end of June 2021 to officially start providing home seekers with these serviced stands. Applications, once opened, will be aligned with the City’s existing allocations policy, in which, beneficiaries are prioritised per region. Mabaso estimated that once the programme was in full swing, it could provide almost 10 000 people with serviced stands per year, depending on the size of land identified.
The programme is set to be officially launched in Region C, where much progress has been made in terms of land preparation. However, Mabaso also confirmed that Region D was one of the areas where land had been identified.
“In Johannesburg, Soweto is the most populated. Whatever you are planning, you have to have Soweto in mind. If you fail to address these issues in Soweto, then you will fail to address them in Johannesburg,’ he said.
MMC Mabaso and his team will work closely with communities and make use of public consultations to ensure that the application process is transparent and accountable.
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