MEC Kgaogelo Lekgoro and Johannesburg MMC Ruby Mathang spoke to residents of Eldorado Park in an emotionally charged but peaceful meeting. Residents of Eldorado Park were happy to get a hearing from government public representatives who included the chairperson of the portfolio committee for Local Government and Housing in the Gauteng legislature Mr Errol Megarman. The hall was packed with people looking forward to raising their grievances.
“We are here to share with the people of Eldorado Park the work that our department has been doing. I am informed that the department has in the past up until today been having discussions with the leadership of this community. In the work that my predecessors have done in the past, potions of land within Eldorado Park has been identified. This land may be suitable for building about (3 000) mixed income housing units. We have also identified an opportunity in the area you call the central business district to build about 1 000 housing units,” said MEC Lekgoro to a thunderous applause.
“What we should separate though from the possibility of building the housing units and actually having housing units is the work that should be done prior to any project coming here. The community of Eldorado Park should allow the department to do the geotechnical studies of the land identified, identifying budget possibilities giving rise to a type of accommodation which may benefit people in Eldorado Park,” said MEC Lekgoro.
The MEC also said that within the available resources work should be done to ensure that many of the people who are residing in shacks within the residences in Eldorado Park may find suitable accommodation. But he emphasised to the community that the biggest monster is finding the resources which are ready to enable the department to implement that housing development.
Many of the concerns raised by the residents were genuine and over a period of time they have led to a belief that coloured people in Eldorado Park were selectively marginalised.
“We have seen development taking place around us were people in Freedom park across the road have received houses and we have been overlooked,” said one resident.
“It is important that this meeting and our presence here today been seen as an opportunity to inform us of all your frustrations. If anybody feels marginalised by government or feels that they have not received a hearing from government speak out. We are here to ensure that all your grievances can be addressed properly and that at all times you could speak to your public representatives,” said MMC Ruby Mathang who chaired proceedings.
After the meeting MEC Lekgoro remarked that the meeting went peacefully “given the anger that people felt and the issues they raised in the meeting. There was order although from time to time tempers were flaring. We should show gratitude for the peaceful proceedings that went on today,” said MEC Kgaogelo Lekgoro.
For more information contact:
Fred Mokoko
Cell: 082 447 8407
Tel: 011 355 4013
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
6 November 2009
