President Jacob Zuma today, 10 August 2012, visited Sweetwaters and Thulamntwana communities in the Kanana Park Extension 3 as part of Siyahlola Presidential Monitoring Programme.
President Zuma officially handed over more than 200 newly built houses to the residents of Kanana Park Ext 3 in southern Johannesburg. Previously President Zuma had visited the areas of Sweetwaters and Thulamntwana in 2010 and found residents living in uninhabitable conditions.
Through this housing project, 3 101 houses are being built, 1 793 of which are government subsidized housing units, 756 social-rental units, and 552 bonded units.
The City of Johannesburg, in partnership with the Department of Local Government and Housing in Gauteng, began to provide houses for the people from these areas through the Kanana Park Housing Development which was already in progress.
The Kanana Park housing development project is located on Portion 3 of the Farm Cyferfontein of some 147, 78 hectares owned by the Gauteng Provincial Government. The project will further incorporate the informal settlements of Doornkuil and Bhekaphambili, in addition to Thulamntwana and Sweetwaters areas.
At the completion of the entire human settlement, it is intended that the area will also have parks, two sports grounds, two primary schools and a high school, a clinic and a commercial and light industrial site. This development will result in a mixed land use and mixed income settlement that will provide its residents with access to community facilities, economic opportunities and transport linkages to the immediate surrounding areas.
There are also long term plans for the south Johannesburg region including proposals about linking the area to the city by routing the Bus Rapid Transport through to the area.
This is in line with government vision of not just only building houses but creating proper human settlements where people have easy access to social amenities.
It is expected that by the end of September 2012, 1 000 houses will be completed, which will see more people being moved from the informal settlements to the new houses.
The Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing anticipates that the whole of Sweetwaters (some 445 households) will be re-located by the end of November 2012.
During the President’s interaction with the community, members of the community raised a number of issues, including the pprioritization of persons with disabilities when allocating houses as well as the provision of basic services like water, geysers, electricity and others in the Mountain View and Fine Town nearby informal settlements.
“I am very pleased with the progress that government has made in delivering services to these communities since my first visit here in 2010. I am particularly impressed by the new houses. The last time I came here people were living in unacceptable conditions. The plans of the provincial and local government here indicate that this is going to be one of the best areas to live in, “said President Zuma.
He further added that the cooperation between the City of Johannesburg, the Gauteng Provincial Government and national government has also been very exemplary, “it is proof that if we work together, we can achieve more in less time”.
Enquiries:
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E-mail: macmaharaj@mweb.co.za/ mediaenquiries@po.gov.za
President Zuma hands over houses to residents of Sweetwaters and Thulamntwana
