When Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille turned the sod at the groundbreaking of the R34.1 million Morningstar Housing Development in Durbanville yesterday, she said one of her priorities for the next five years would be to address the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.
“It is very clear that many people remain in the areas where they were dumped during the apartheid era. Most of these areas are far removed from proper transport infrastructure,” De Lille said.
Such people were intentionally placed far from areas of economic opportunity, where residents could find jobs, she added.
It was an indictment that the poor were spending 40% of their income on commuting to work, De Lille
continued.
But with the new development spanning 1.6 hectares, comprising 166 homes for approximately 664 people, and situated two kilometres from central Durbanville and 10km from the Bellville business district, she added: “The development is in close proximity to the major activity routes and it is close to the Durbanville taxi rank. We want people to live closer to economic opportunities.
“We will also be building a brand-new taxi and bus-embayment for the residents who will stay here.
‘‘The units we will be building here are all situated on this great transport arterial of Langeberg Road,” De Lille said.
The government-subsidised houses would be allocated to those most in need - meaning beneficiaries who earn less than R3500 per month.
De Lille, who said the development’s allocation list had been finalised, thanked the development’s project steering committee for their role.