Tshwane to sell off land to get cash

Demolished shacks in Nellmapius in Malemaville, Nkandlaville in Mamelodi East and an open piece of land in Soshanguve where residents recently illegally tried to occupy land. Photo: Masi Losi

Demolished shacks in Nellmapius in Malemaville, Nkandlaville in Mamelodi East and an open piece of land in Soshanguve where residents recently illegally tried to occupy land. Photo: Masi Losi

Published Jan 22, 2015

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Pretoria - Strategic land parcels belonging to the City of Tshwane will be sold by way of a public auction to raise money for the formalisation of informal settlements and provision of housing units.

These include a portion of a farm in Garsfontein, the so-called Koeksisters near the N4 in Hatfield, and another property in Highveld, next to Eco Park.

The city hopes to raise at least half a billion rand from the sale. About R2 billion is needed immediately and a total of R6bn to R8bn to completely eradicate informal settlements, mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa told a media briefing at his Centurion offices on Wednesday.

The first public auction will be held on March 24, with the inaugural Investor Summit on February 17 preparing potential buyers.

But Ramokgopa said the city’s efforts to formalise informal settlements were being threatened by rampant land grabs championed by the EFF and targeting land identified for housing projects, leading to violent confrontations between police and the occupants.

Most of the informal settlements on land grabs were named after EFF leaders by their occupants.

Ramokgopa said the city would not tolerate any person inciting land invasions and would not provide basic services in those places.

If people are impatient with service delivery, there are channels through which to raise grievances.

He said law enforcement agencies would step in when land invasion occurred. A blanket court interdict had been obtained empowering authorities to act immediately.

The city’s metro police and security guards have dismantled illegal structures in Sokhulumi near Bronkhorstspruit, Malemaville in Mamelodi, Dali Mpofu View Extension 1 in Soshanguve, Block Y in Soshanguve, Bagatla Makau Tribe in Soshanguve, Stoffelpark in Mamelodi, Mooiplaats, Donkerhoek, Atteridgeville and Olievenhoutbosch. The mayor said the city had embarked on a major programme to formalise informal settlements by relocating communities to pegged and serviced stands, or upgrading existing areas with full services in 160 unproclaimed townships.

The serviced stands will have metered water and electricity, sanitation, paved roads and storm water drainage, regulatory signs, street names and lights.

Parks and soccer fields, kerbside waste management services, title deeds and council-recommended building plans will be provided.

The programme includes water provision through tanks, chemical toilets and gravel roads.

Various housing developments are already under construction.

About 12 909 titled deeds had been issued by the end of last year and 50 informal settlements formalised. The number of townships proclaimed totals 10, with 4 108 stands being serviced within the allocated budget for the current financial year.

Ramokgopa blasted the EFF for land invasions and said the party had mastered the art of anarchy, which would undermine order in the country if it went unchecked.

“The EFF wants to derail our plans and gain political currency. We will never reward anyone who occupies land illegally.

“Land invasions derail the progress of the work we are doing and encourages lawlessness and anarchy. In addition, it plays on the emotions of the poor,” he said.

The municipality had sought the intervention of the government to curb the frequent land invasions.

The mayor said people invading land were not even from within the boundaries of the city and were imported from other areas to come and undermine the housing programme.

More than 100 000 housing units and serviced stands would be provided within the next financial year, Ramokgopa said.

Of these, 40 000 will be funded by the private sector, 35 000 by the municipality and another 32 000 by the provincial government.

He admitted these were tight deadlines but said it had to be done as the influx of people into the city– most of them economically inactive and thus unable to pay for services – was higher than the rate at which housing was being provided.

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Pretoria News

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