Cape Town - The City of Cape Town said its R85 million phase 4 housing project in Masiphumelele township is on track.
In a statement released on Tuesday, mayoral committee member for human settlements councillor Malusi Booi visited the site and said 227 people will be benefiting from the housing project, which is expected to be completed at the end of October.
He said residents from the approved targeted areas, including residents from the wetland informal settlement, will become first-time property owners.
Booi said 194 people have already moved into their homes at several handovers since October 2019. He said the city council was monitoring the area for any possible land invasion attempts as seen at other projects across the metro.
The expenditure for the project includes money towards bulk earthworks, internal civil engineering services for water, sanitation and roads, electricity reticulation and street lighting and formal beneficiary-owned houses, Booi said.
Beneficiaries for housing projects have been selected in accordance with the City council’s allocation policy and the City’s housing-needs register to ensure opportunities are allocated equitably.
“Construction was able to resume in May 2020 within health and safety Covid-19 alert level 4 regulations after it was halted in March 2020 due to the national lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“It is clear that much work has been done over the past few months to make up for lost time due to the implementation of the lockdown.
“There is a great need for accommodation in Cape Town and we will only succeed if we follow a systematic approach of first come, first served,” Booi said.
He said human settlements projects have to be safeguarded as it has a budget of R1.3 billion (about US$78 million) altogether, despite the pressure from urbanisation, illegal land occupations and diminishing national grants for human settlements developments.
“We need all Cape Town residents to support us in our endeavours and to work with us to ensure we are able to establish a more inclusive human settlements environment for the benefit of all,” Booi said.
African News Agency (ANA)