Pretoria - Residents in Pretoria have been applying in large numbers for units at the new Marabastad Townlands social housing project.
The project has been in the making for 20 years and will finally be ready for its first occupants by the end of the year.
It will consist of 1 200 mixed units and is set to benefit Tshwane residents who do not qualify for government-sponsored housing nor earn enough to qualify for home loans, earning between R1 500 and R15 000 a month.
The project will be completed in two phases – Phase 1 with 691 units and Phase 2 with 509 units.
Applications for Phase 1 opened on September 20 and closed on October 1. To date, the City of Tshwane said it had received 4 330 walk-in applications and 2 300 others online.
There are 501 eligible applications, while the rest are still being processed.
After a sight inspection last month, mayor Randall Williams said the City's ambition was to increase the number of people who work, live and play in and around urban areas.
MMC for Human Settlements Mpho Mehlape-Zimu yesterday went to the Housing Company Tshwane offices to monitor progress on the application process.
The MMC was pleased with the turnout by people who were applying.
Mayoral spokesperson Sipho Stuurman said the next step was vetting, followed by pre-tenant training, the full application process and allocations.
“The City of Tshwane remains committed to delivering quality and dignified low-cost government housing to qualifying residents,” he added.
Pretoria News