Commenting on the progress and pitfalls of the Alexandra Renewal Project, director of the project, Julian Baskin sees it as a long-term task.

The main challenge facing the Alexandra Renewal Project RP is housing

REBUILDING Alexandra is a lifetime project that needs to be done systematically and over time, said the director of the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP), Julian Baskin, explaining the long-term of the project launched to upgrade Joburg's impoverished township in 2001.

A joint initiative between the City of Johannesburg, the provincial and national government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations, the ARP was launched as a presidential project to be implemented over a seven-year period. It aimed to radically change the physical, social and economic environment of Alexandra.

Baskin points out that many of the estimates, including funding, originally set for the project are not feasible. Original estimates put the ARP budget at R1.3-billion. "A simple RDP (reconstruction for development programme) house costs more than R90 000 and there are over 22 000 households in need of decent accommodation. Calculations will tell you the total cost of building RDP houses amounts to well over R1.9 billion and the project is not only about providing housing, but is holistic and multi-disciplinary."

Now, with 16 months to go before the project is due to end, the main challenge is "the speed at which projects are implemented and completed".

"A total overhaul of Alexandra will not take seven to 10 years. Alexandra is a long journey; a lifetime project of the City - and the ARP can only do what is possible within the stipulated seven years," explains Baskin.

The main challenge facing the ARP is housing the thousands of people living in squalor and in backyard shacks.

Baskin says the ARP had to redefine its operations and plans at some point to speed up the reconstruction process and provide affordable housing for residents. 

Alexandra is home to about 400 000 people

"Alexandra is now home to about 400 000 people living in very crowded conditions. There are about 770 people per hectare and the most rational thing to do when the project was launched was to de-densify the township." 

About 7 000 families were moved from the Jukskei River banks and settled in Diepsloot and Bramfischerville in Soweto. This exercise was met with resistance and some of the removed residents came back.

"The original plan to move all Alex residents and turn the township into a middle-class area was shelved. The only option left was to build social housing to accommodate thousands of people in desperate need of decent houses and relocate some of them to social housing schemes in the vicinity of Alexandra."

So far, 3 000 houses have been built for relocation purposes and three rental housing projects have been initiated in Marlboro Gardens, Westlake and Frankenwald. The design, costing and project feasibility phase of the Transfer of Housing and upgrading of existing houses and backyard shacks in Old Alexandra projects is complete and currently, 5 438 residential stands are being transferred from City of Johannesburg to qualifying households.

"There are plans in the pipeline to build RDP flats in a couple of months time. However, people must note that the ARP is not a housing project but involves a whole lot of efforts to improve infrastructure in the township," says Baskin.

He says Alex is one huge construction site with 27 active projects under way, one of which is the refurbishment of the Alexandra Stadium.

"We are doing a block-by-block approach to tackling ills facing the township. Construction work is taking place at the Alexandra Stadium to bring it to international standards and there are plans to house one of the 2010 Fifa World Cup teams in Alexandra if all goes well."

The KwaBhekilanga athletic/rugby facility and the Altrek sports facility upgrading are almost complete. The two facilities will be fully functional soon, according to Baskin.

Not so long ago, Ekukhanyisweni Primary School consisted of rickety asbestos structures where pupils conducted their lessons, but today, a safe, modern school with a multi-purpose netball, volleyball and basketball court has been built in its place. Renovations have been made to 17 schools thus far.

Hostels are also being upgraded

At the M2 Hostel, people have already moved into newly built flats and the old hostel is being renovated, complete with a theatre for social use. The theatre is set to be open in six months' time, says Baskin.

A business centre to "stimulate" Alex's economy has been established. It will offer aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs courses on basic life skills, starting a business, financial management and running and growing a business. Plans have been finalised for three economic nodes, namely Wynberg, Kew and Pan Africa.

"Most of the active projects would be complete by now, but it's the contractual procedures that cause a lot of delays. We use several small contractors - mostly from Alex - because one wouldn't be able to handle one project on its own and this makes it harder for us to assess and monitor their work."

The Alexandra Development Forum (ADF), an organisation that looks after the interests of all parties involved in upgrading Alexandra, says residents need houses urgently. 

The director of the Alexandra Renewal Project, Julian Baskin

"Even though much has been done in building roads, schools, bridges and other infrastructure in Alex, this is secondary to residents. Progress has been very slow in terms of providing decent accommodation for Alex residents and time is running out because the ARP will be over in a few months' time," says ADF secretary, Linda Memela. 

To this end, the ADF has requested a meeting with the Gauteng MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane. The meeting is meant to speed up the process of the provision of houses to Alex residents, says Memela.

Baskin says the ARP and the ADF have a common strategy to see the people of Alex getting decent accommodation. He agrees that time is against the project, but the ARP is doing all it can to provide decent living conditions for Alex residents.

"We as the ARP may be satisfied with all the work we have done so far, but it may not be appreciated by someone who is still living in a shack," he says.