A contractor has finally been appointed for a major project to help address Makana municipality’s 13 800-unit housing backlog – but it will be at least another three years before the homes are ready for people to move into.
A contractor has finally been appointed for a major project to help address Makana municipality’s 13 800-unit housing backlog – but it will be at least another three years before the homes are ready for people to move into.
Foundations will now finally be laid for the much-vaunted Mayfield Phase 2 project announced by the municipality in 2010. Former Mayor Vumile Lwana promised at the time that it would be complete by this Christmas.
In 2008, Makana municipality was reported to have the largest informal settlement in the Cacadu district. Speaking to Grocott’s Mail this week, Director of Technical and Infrastructure Services Thembinkosi Myalato, said 2 261 units would be built in the Mayfield area, north of Hooggenoeg and north-east of Sugarloaf Hill on the way to Makana Brick.
"Expenditure on the development this financial year would be around R30 million and the first phase would be to install infrastructure. For the 2012/13 financial year we are hoping to do 1 000 installations of bulk water, sewer and roads. Then we are going to do 100 top structures (houses). Another 900 top structures will be done in the 2013/14 financial year," said Myalato.
The projection was confirmed by Department of Human Settlements spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha. Today a contractor has been approved for this project." One thousand service-connections are going to be established and 100 homes will be constructed," Sicwetsha said last week.
He said the project formed part of the department’s Breaking New Ground project. "We want to make sure that all the pipes for water and sanitation are installed before the top structure is built. We want to make sure that these houses have all the facilities needed," he said.
Myalato said the estimated cost of the entire project was R221 578 00. The remaining 1 261 units, he said, should be completed in the 2014/15 financial year.
It was with great fanfare almost three years ago that the municipality and Human Settlements presented a draft layout of the Mayfield housing project during an Infrastructure and Development forum. The development was described at the time as breaking new ground in housing delivery with plans to accommodate about 1 684 single residential units, catering for the increased housing needs of Makana.
Mixed housing would include RDP houses, apartments, semi-detached and single story houses. The development promised four primary and two secondary schools, as well as a community health centre, churches, businesses, a community hall and crèches.
In their Integrated Development Plan for 2012/13 Makana reported a housing backlog of 13 800 and emphasised that addressing this was a priority. The municipality now aims to have addressed the backlog by 2016.
More housing on the way
Myalato said they had also applied to the department of Human Settlements for housing in the following areas:
Xolani – 35 homes
Zolani – 140 homes
Upper Mnandi – 14 homes
Lower Mnandi – 41 homes
J Street – 31 homes
M Street – 9 homes
N Street – 30 homes
