National Department of Human Settlements, together with the Department of Local Government and Human Settlements in Bokone Bophirima in partnership with Rustenburg local municipality has embarked on an intense and vigorous process to verify the beneficiary lists of the 292 Breaking New Ground housing units as part of the 1st phase of Marikana housing project.
Officials from both departments and the municipalities addressed the residents of Marikana at a community hall that was packed to capacity on Sunday, 09 January 2016 wherein the beneficiary list was read in full view of everybody in a meeting. This was verified and confirmed by residents themselves in a meeting that those listed are legitimate beneficiaries of greater Marikana area, in other words, they are legitimate residents of Marikana, thereby dispelling views that the beneficiaries are not from Marikana. The verification process will also see the first thirty beneficiaries occupying their houses on Monday, 11 January 2016.
Members of the community conceded that they have been misled into believing that they had to be affiliated to a certain political party to be beneficiaries of the Marikana housing project. Busisiwe Shezi (55) is one the applicants who has gone through the verification process. “I’m very much happy that the allocation and occupation process has started. I can’t wait to occupy my house which is to change the living condition of my family. Indeed government has delivered on its promises of providing houses to the needy. In due course - I will be saying goodbye to my shack”, said Shezi. Meanwhile, the beneficiaries have been discouraged from erecting shacks in their backyards.
The government remains satisfied by manner in which the community conducted themselves during the proceedings of the meeting and therefore it calls for sustainable relations going forward.
The Marikana Housing Project is part of government’s plan to revitalize distressed mining communities following the Social Accord which was signed by President Jacob Zuma in October 2012 as a commitment to accelerate efforts to upgrade human settlements in mining towns across the country. The second phase of the total of 2600 intergrated developments will start in due course
Enquiries:
Ben Bole
Cell: 071 566 1399
E-mail: msbole@nwpg.gov.za
