Cape Town - Over the past week, 66 people received their brand-new homes in the Boystown housing development project in Nyanga, Cape Town.
In a statement released by Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers, he said 116 people have benefited from the project since July.
The Boystown project, which commenced in 2010, has a budget of more than R308 million and is set to deliver 1 548 housing opportunities to beneficiaries.
“It is an in-situ upgrading where Breaking New Ground (BNG) units are being built and sites serviced,” Simmers said.
The project, which is set to be completed in 2021, still has 210 houses outstanding.
He said beneficiaries were sourced from the Triangle site, Newrest, Gqobasi, Open Spaces and Philippi temporary relocation area (TRA) and said this was part of his department's efforts to re-block and ease densification in the area.
“Affording these residents the opportunity to vastly improve their lives is what we work for as we want to restore our people’s dignity.
“Our aim is to ensure that communities across the Western Cape experience this difference.
“These moves are particularly pleasing as this area has been plagued by a host of community disputes and horrific crimes, including murder, attempted murder and intimidation, which led to various delays in its implementation,” Simmers said.
He said they would not allow any form of intimidation or threats of violence to derail them from improving people’s lives.
Simmers also thanked all law enforcement agencies and private security for assisting to ensure the move to their new homes was smooth for beneficiaries.
African News Agency (ANA)