Summit addresses housing backlog in Ekurhuleni
A two-day Human Settlements Summit was recently held where housing issues in Ekurhuleni were tackled.
The Summit revealed that there is a huge housing backlog, and that in Ekurhuleni alone, there are 119 informal settlements, with 162 000 people living in them.
The Summit hosted by the metro, provided all housing stakeholders with an opportunity to actively participate and provide input on the human settlements programme, strategies and implementation plans.
Mayor Mondli Gungubele said the summit would provide clarity on the plans and actions to be taken by the metro in the roadmap to making Ekurhuleni’s human settlements livable and sustainable and, thus, improving the quality of the lives of all its residents.
He acknowledged that there was a backlog and approximately 240 000 residents were living in backyards and that those who are registered are still on the waiting list.
“Over the past 10 years we have allocated about 2 000 houses for people in the waiting list, while we have provided almost 97 000 residents living in informal settlements with access to housing opportunities,” he said.
Gungubele pointed out that the summit should provide solutions to the housing and human settlements problems especially problems with land scarcity.
“While providing houses remains a critical element of our programme, there is a scarcity of land in the country; it becomes important that we maximise densities and as well as leverage existing infrastructure,” said Gungubele.
He reiterated President Jacob Zuma’s words in this year’s State of the Nation Address.
“Housing is not just about building houses. It is also about transforming our residential areas and building communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities,” said Zuma.
Gungubele said in line with the President’s vision it was, therefore, imperative that plans must address the need to not only spatially transform towns and cities, but also suburbs as well.
“In this we must ensure that we de-racialise as well as integrate our various income groups.”
Over the two-days Gungubele said plans presented would demonstrate the close link between transport and housing.
“These two disciplines in the words of our Premier are the ‘Siamese twins of development’,” he said.
Gungubele said that housing was one of the critical service delivery challenges, and pointed out that the population of Ekurhuleni was currently growing at a rapid rate of between three and four per cent every year.
“More and more people across the country and neighbouring countries continue to move into our space as they seek job opportunities. In our Growth and Development Strategy 2055, we have committed ourselves to the concept of sustainable human settlements. “
Gungubele said the Township Regeneration Integrated plans and strategies for the redevelopment of a number of Township complexes had been completed.
“Despite these and other achievements as Ekurhuleni, we have concluded that the formalisation of our Informal Settlements Upgrading Plan will, among others, provide certainty to people living in our 119 informal settlements.” – @TumeloBoksburg
