Gauteng
18 June 2007
Gauteng MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane put social inclusion as her
department's top priority this year saying that all racial groups must live
together. "This will be implemented with the introduction of the inclusionary
policy that requires developers of upmarket estates to set aside a percentage
of their housing development to low-cost housing for low-income earners."
Mokonyane delivered her departmental budget speech for 2007/8 in the provincial
legislature on Friday, 15 June 2007 and said the R2,637,948 billion budget is
an increase of 21,5% from last year.
The inclusionary policy aims to address the apartheid spatial designs where
the elite lived in suburbs close to amenities and far away from the less
affluent communities. Cosmo City was the first of this kind of project for
mixed income housing and has to date prompted the department to build other
such developments such as Thorn Tree View and Nelmapius which are ready for
occupation. Mokonyane announced that her department, together with the City of
Johannesburg municipality, have plans ready to build a similar development in
Doornkop during the 2007/8 financial year.
This project will have 25 000 different housing units for various income
groups. The department is also looking at developing other sites in Mogale
City. Mokonyane said during this financial year 10 informal settlements will be
eradicated, 145 will be upgraded and 209 will be relocated. More than R1
billion will also be spent on projects already identified as part of the 20
Priority Townships Project. In an effort to fast track housing delivery, the
department has undertaken to complement conventional housing construction with
Alternative Building Technologies. Already there are two pilot projects
underway in areas such as Nomzamo and Kaalfontein, while a third is being
finalised.
"In this financial year we will be completing 13 hostels throughout the
province, the department has also extended the Backyard Upgrade Programme to
Boipatong township for the construction of 750 units," said Mokonyane. "This
year we also aim to fight some of the challenges in the department such as
fraud and corruption and we have already trained 80% of our staff on Fraud
Prevention Awareness," she said. The department will also develop an
Anti-Corruption legislation to inform those that do business with the
department about their stance on Zero Tolerance to Fraud and Corruption.
Issued by: Department of Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
18 June 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za)
