Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale on Thursday reiterated the importance of housing people in places closer to work and other amenities.
Speaking at the launch of a R75-million social housing project in Brooklyn, Cape Town, he said: “We have always said where we stay should be where we play, where we pray and where we work.”
This was part of the department's “way of providing decent and affordable accommodation” for people closer to areas of work, transport and where they could lead productive lives, he said.
The Drommedaris Brooklyn Social Housing project - located in the Koeberg Road - had been specifically designed to take advantage of the proposed Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) routes in Cape Town.
This meant people would not spend longer than necessary getting to and from work.
The project was part of the department's social housing initiative intended to provide accommodation for people who did not qualify for government subsidised houses and in the same process could not access mortgage loans from banks.
“What we are witnessing today is the realisation of our long-term objectives of ensuring that people who earn between R3500-7000 are provided with appropriate accommodation closer to work opportunities in the process improving economic conditions,” Sexwale said.
The project set a good example of the human settlements' social housing strategy to deracialise and transform the inner cities, revitalise strategic nodes of development and to address economic, social and spatial dysfunctionalities.
“We want to revitalise and transform our inner cities by creating housing opportunities and giving a chance to people who would otherwise be overlooked by banks for mortgage bonds while not qualifying for the subsidised houses.
“We are also saying in areas where we can let us go high-rise instead of going wide on the ground.
“This means we don't have to wait for vast lands to be unlocked for development,” he said.
The launch was also attended by Western Cape premier Helen Zille, human settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde. - Sapa