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Work on the first phase of the huge Lufhereng development starts this month. Once completed, it will provide 25 000 new homes.
At the sod-turning ceremony, Joburg's acting member of the mayoral committee for housing, Matshidiso Mfikoe and the MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
JOY filled the air when residents of Protea South informal settlement heard that at long last they would soon be living in decent houses with all the necessary amenities.
Filling a huge white marquee pitched just to the west of Doornkop, Soweto, on Saturday, 14 June, the residents were eager for details of a new project that will house thousands of Protea South residents and the Doornkop farming community in a mixed-income development, similar to Cosmo City in the north.
Some 25 000 homes will be built at the estate, known as Lufhereng. Construction will be in three phases, and will take seven to nine years. It will comprise fully subsidised RDP houses for the poorest of the poor, affordable housing for low income households and middle- to high-income bonded housing.
Subsidised RDP houses will form half of the project; and people on the 1996/7 housing waiting list for southwestern Johannesburg and eligible residents of Protea South and the Doornkop farming community will be prioritised.
A Breaking New Ground initiative, Lufhereng is a Tshivenda term referring to a place where people come together with a united commitment. It is the last large piece of ground suitable for this kind of development in southwestern Johannesburg.
Addressing residents at the sod-turning ceremony to mark the project's launch, the Gauteng MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane, said it would deal with the housing backlog which had affected the number of poor South Africans in and around Soweto.
"I hope the community can embrace and rally behind this project so that it can be a success, because in the end it will benefit you. This project will address your social and economic conditions."
Mokonyane also warned those who attempted to derail service delivery. "We should be on the lookout for those people who always try but fail to destabilise our commitment to provide decent houses for our people," she said.
Phase one
The first phase of the project, with construction to start in June, will comprise 2 400 detached, semi-detached and row houses and 1 500 walk-ups. Beneficiaries of the subsidised houses will be able to select the unit layout that suits their individual needs.
Since the project is being developed in a farming community, it includes an agricultural component. Promoted by the provincial department of agriculture, conservation and environment, this component will focus on small scale intensive field farming and commercial hydroponics targeted principally at black economic empowerment small farmer development.
Attention will be focused on the entire agri-business value chain, targeting production, processing and distribution. As part of the agri-estate, there will be a beneficiary park, retail outlets, research stations and a skills development centre, with upstream and downstream business opportunities creating up to 10 000 jobs.
Farmers living on land required for the first phase of the project were already being relocated, Mokonyane said.
Lufhereng will include other land uses normally associated with a sustainable urban environment, such as social, institutional, commercial, municipal and public open space.
"Provision will be made for over 15 primary and secondary schools and over 60 community facilities, churches and crèches. Active discussions are currently taking place with national and provincial authorities responsible for such facilities so that such functions are developed in tandem with the housing developments," Mokonyane said.
Show village
A show village is being constructed to introduce the particular urban environment and typical housing products to be implemented in Lufhereng. Through the show village, beneficiaries of subsidised housing will be able to choose the type of home that best suits their needs. Examples of bonded houses expected to be delivered by the market will be included in the show village, which will be exhibited towards the end of the year.
Lufhereng is planned to integrate physically, economically and socially with Soweto. Soweto's public transport network will be extended into Lufhereng; two separate commuter rail services intersect in the development, which will eventually be served by four commuter stations.
Several higher order roads such as the PWV5, K15 and K102 surround or cross the area and will provide regional accessibility and facilitate effective transport to and from Lufhereng in the medium and long term.
Selinah Makhubela, who has lived in the Protea South informal settlement for the past 18 years, said the project was long overdue. She lived with her eight-year-old child in a one-room shack, and had been on the housing list since 1996.
"I hope this project will become a reality."
Joburg's acting member of the mayoral committee for housing, Matshidiso Mfikoe, said the City was doing all it could to provide decent accommodation for residents. "As the City, we know people are tired of living in informal settlements without electricity and water. This project will bring an end to your misery."
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