The Twenty Prioritised Townships Project (20PTP) which is aimed at rehabilitating existing social and economic infrastructure in the previously marginalised townships continues despite the economic meltdown.
These townships were built without proper sanitation, electricity, tarred roads, running water and decent houses. The Soshanguve Township outside the city of Pretoria in Tshwane municipality is one such township.
The month of July 2009 marked the opening of another tarred street in Soshanguve. The Department of Roads and Transport handed over that street to the Tshwane municipality hence the maintenance of the streets falls within the municipality's area of jurisdiction.
The councillor of ward 28 in Soshanguve Mr Mathibe, expressed his gratitude to the entire team of constructors and the department for making sure that the community of his area walks on tarred streets.
The ward 28 Soshanguve community benefited during the construction as many were employed and the semi skilled received training. 780 people were hired during the construction; this was inclusive of men, women and youth. The project empowered them with skills that will help them in seeking employment elsewhere.
This forms part of the president's call of creating 500 000 jobs by December this year and to provide skills to the unemployed youth in the country. As part of giving back and raising the awareness, the hand over ceremony‘s major guests were matriculates from the neighbouring secondary school. The pupils were given a platform to ask the department's representatives questions about the job opportunities in the field of civil engineering.
The department after realising that there are too many kilometres of gravel roads which still needs to be covered in the townships, has now partnered with municipalities through the 20PTP as part of the grand strategy of modernising the prioritised townships in Gauteng. This in line with the national government‘s call to push back the frontiers of poverty by creating jobs and fast tracking the provision of basic services like roads, housing, water etc.
Issued by: Department of Roads and Transport, Gauteng Provincial Government
3 September 2009
Source: Department of Roads and Transport, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.roadsandtransport.gpg.gov.za/)
