Johannesburg - The Gauteng Provincial Government on Monday condemned the violent protests which erupted in the Kya Sands informal settlement, saying it was unnecessary.
On Monday morning, a large group of residents from the area, many carrying pangas and sjamboks, protested over poor service delivery, with reports of cars being stoned during the protest.
“The use of violence is highly unnecessary given that the Provincial Government and the City of Johannesburg have been working with the community to find a solution to challenges related to service delivery in the area,” said MEC for Human Settlements and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo.
He added: “We have acknowledged that concerns raised by the community are genuine and we remain committed to making the necessary interventions. We have further demonstrated that we are willing to engage and build relationships based on trust.”
The delay in service delivery in terms of housing and basic services, he said, was “due to the lack of bulk infrastructure”.
He said that the province, in partnership with the City of Johannesburg and the National Department of Water and Sanitation, had “started the planning process for the roll-out of bulk infrastructure in the area”.
This roll-out he said, would “enable both the province and the City of Johannesburg to connect water, sanitation and electricity services, build roads, housing and social infrastructure such as schools and clinics”.
Going forward, he said the department was committed to implementing several multi-billion mega projects to ensure the roll-out of such bulk service delivery.
“The Department is working jointly with municipalities and state agencies such as Eskom and Rand Water to jointly roll-out bulk infrastructure in identified areas as a strategy to fast track the delivery of housing in the province,” he said.
The department, through the mega projects approach, aimed to build housing clusters which would “deliver over 15 000 mixed housing opportunities across all the corridors in the province”.
ANA