Durban - Twenty-one residents, living in ward 9 in lower Molweni west of Durban, received keys to their homes yesterday.
The keys were handed over by eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, accompanied by Chairperson of Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee Councillor Thanduxolo Sabelo, Deputy Chair Councillor Musa Mkhize and ward 9 Councillor Simphiwe Mncube.
Sixteen of the homes were newly built while five were renovated after they were damaged during recent storms. This forms part of the ower Molweni Rural Housing Project which is set to yield 493 units and is expected to be complete in 2021.
"The handing over of these houses demonstrate that we are a government that delivers to its commitments. As the municipality, we are going to bring other programmes in the area that will enable to community to participate in the economy and create jobs," Kaunda said.
Councillor Sabelo said the handover is a significant way of showing that development is not just talked about, but residents are witnessing it for themselves.
“As we have been saying, time for talk is over. We are hard at work and we will not rest until we deliver services to all our residents he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Nonceba Cele, said she was delighted.
"We want to thank our councillor who kept us up to date about the progress of this project. Even if there were challenges, he would convene meetings and communicate those to us," she said.
Today, 25 houses were handed over by the Honourable Mayor, Cllr Mxolisi Kaunda at Lower Molweni in Ward 9. 15 of these houses are newly built whilst the rest were renovated.
Posted by EThekwini Municipality on Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Ward Councillor Mncube said there are several other development projects, including the Kwadinabakubo Phase 2 Project, the Ngcolosi Housing Project and the R293 Project, that are set to be implemented soon that will improve the lives of this community for the better.
Mayor Kaunda warned beneficiaries against selling the houses as they are the way to ensure that their future generations have ownership of land and property.
The Mercury