As many as 11 000 of Makana's 14 150 low-income families waiting for formal housing may see their dream come true, if a proposal from the municipality's land and housing portfolio committee to allocate R4 million from municipal funds is approved.
As many as 11 000 of Makana's 14 150 low-income families waiting for formal housing may see their dream come true, if a proposal from the municipality's land and housing portfolio committee to allocate R4 million from municipal funds is approved.
This comes as councillors feel the heat from frustrated residents. The committee's motivation to council to release these funds cites the long periods it takes to get funding approved, and the increasing ire of residents, who "normally blame Council".
Makana Deputy Director of Planning and Land Usage, Renier van der Merwe, said the area north of Hoogenoeg, and west of the Mayfield Phase ll housing project had been earmarked to address Grahamstown's housing backlog. It had yet to be formalised in terms of town planning requirements before housing and municipal services could be provided. "It is estimated that maybe 9000-11000 erven can be fitted," Van der Merwe said.
According to the report, the project will include Alicedale and other outlying areas. Grocott's Mail recently reported that there were 14 150 residents waiting for RDP houses – a figure that rises almost daily as more hopeful residents register their applications.
However, Van der Merwe said a study last year showed that of the 13 000-14 000 applications, it was estimated that only 7000-8000 would meet the provincial Department of Human Settlements' housing subsidy criteria. Formalisation would take three to five years, said Van der Merwe, depending on submissions from various consultants, including the environmental impact assessors.
Time frames for the project would be determined during the preliminary planning phase. The municipality's recent formalisation of 295 erven of infill areas, commonly known as informal areas, was completed in just over two years. There are a few hurdles before the project begins, the first being approval by the Mayoral Committee, which will discuss the proposal on Tuesday. Even then, the R4 million requested would not cover the whole project, said Van der Merwe, and interim funding was being planned.
