Johannesburg - A row has erupted between the ANC and the DA over the extension of Joburg’s boundary to incorporate the Zandspruit informal settlement on Beyers Naudé Drive.
Last week, at the monthly council meeting, the ANC unanimously voted to extend the boundary to transform the settlement of about 15 000 shacks into a formal settlement consisting of more than 7 000 housing units.
Infrastructural upgrades will include roads, water and sewerage as well as provision for public transport.
However, the DA opposed the item, saying it would cost R2 billion - money which had not been budgeted for. They refused to vote in support of the item. They also claim it doesn’t form part of the mayor’s Corridors of Freedom, which is encouraging people to live closer to the city centre.
The ANC accused the DA of not wanting the development of affordable housing in the areas in which it has support.
In her motion for the adoption of the report, the ANC’s Ward 114 councillor, Maureen Schneemann, said the development of Zandspruit would bring hope to the informal settlement’s residents and unlock doors that had been closed.
“I welcome this report on behalf of the families in Zandspruit. Those who have not been there and walked the streets of Zandspruit will have nothing to say. This step we are taking today indicates the city’s commitment to improving the lives of our people,” she said.
The city’s member of the mayoral committee for development planning, Rosslyn Greeff, said funding for the housing component would be made available by the Gauteng government.
However, the DA accused the ANC of playing “a cynical political game with the residents of Zandspruit ahead of next year’s elections”. DA chief whip Vasco da Gama said this was creating false expectations of better living conditions “without knowing how this will be paid for, and by whom”.
In doing so, the council has gone against the expert advice of its own entities. It may also be in breach of laws which prohibit the approval of unfunded mandates. According to the city’s own documents, City Power doesn’t have the bulk infrastructure to support the proposed development.
With minimal road infrastructure, transport to the area is poor. The city admits Zandspruit is serviced only by minibus taxis and that “no short/medium-term plans exist to extend other public services to the area”.
The report further states that “there are no social facilities… libraries, parks and open spaces, schools, health facilities, police stations… with the exception of community halls, located within 5 to 10km.”
The report also states that the main water supply will have to be upgraded and servitudes procured. “Environmental sensitivities have not been indicated,” the report says.
@annacox
The Star