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Hundreds of families finally have decent homes of their own in the City's latest mixed housing development, Pennyville.  Executive mayor, Amos Masondo, plants a tree to signal new beginnings in Pennyville
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg) FOR Sylvia Netshikwata, the experience of taking photographs with Joburg's first citizen, Amos Masondo, was an exciting moment, but moving into a decent two bed-roomed house was the most emotional moment of her life. The 45-year-old year mother of two finally got her Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) house at Pennyville after years of living in the informal settlement of Zamimpilo, west of Johannesburg. Masondo, in the company of the Gauteng MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane, and City officials, handed over the keys to the ecstatic woman on Thursday, 11 September. Pennyville, a mixed housing development close to the New Canada train station initiated by the City, now stands where there was once barren, rocky and unattractive land. Colourful double-storey structures dwarf the station and the gay voices of children at play in an equally colourful crèche fill the bright September afternoon, a far cry from the dusty streets of the informal settlements in which they used to play. Already, 872 houses out of 3 200 - the total number of housing units to be built at the estate - have been occupied by qualifying beneficiaries and a crèche, built at a cost of R3,9-million, is up-and-running. Speaking at the official launch of Pennyville, Masondo said the housing development would yield affordable and sustainable housing and tenure options, in line with the national Department of Housing's Breaking New Ground initiative. "Through this Pennyville housing project, the City is not only just eradicating the Zamimpilo informal settlement, but it also provides housing opportunities for the Orlando East backyard dwellers. Beneficiaries also come from Riverlea, Noordgesig and the Wesbury neighbouring communities," he said. Options
Pennyville, which is being built in four phases, offers different housing options for beneficiaries: 1 600 fully subsidised RDP houses, 600 Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) affordable rental units, 200 Joshco social housing units and 800 middle- and high-income rental units offered by investors and banks. The 600 Joshco rental rooms will accommodate families from Zamimpilo that do not qualify for a housing subsidy and households earning between R3 500 and R7 000 a month. "This will ensure that all beneficiaries in the targeted settlements are relocated and accommodated to complete the eradication of Zamimpilo informal settlement," said Masondo. The 800 middle- and high-income rental units will benefit households with incomes of between R3 500 and R15 000 a month. Mokonyane said through projects like Pennyville, the City "is changing for the better". "The project is an indication of our total commitment as the government to deliver on the mandate to build decent housing for all. The products being delivered today compare to any housing products in the north of Johannesburg," she said. Building communities
Masondo pointed out that the theme for the launch was Building sustainable human settlements. It was important that the City not only prioritise housing alone but built supporting social amenities as well in order "to build communities".  Executive mayor Amos Masondo hands over house keys to Florence Nhosi, one of the Pennyville beneficiaries
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg) "A crèche with a total value of R3,9-million was developed and donated to the City by Pennyville Zamimpilo Relocation (PZR), which is a subsidiary of Calgro M3 Holdings and Absa Group, in support of the City's Early Child Development programme." The crèche has four classrooms, an office, kitchen, activity room, sick room and two sets of bathrooms for the children. The City has also provided a satellite library service that will go a long way towards providing the local community with much-needed books. "There is also a commitment from the provincial departments of health and education to build a school and a clinic. The construction will begin this year, 2008, and be completed in late 2009," Masondo added. And huge mine dumps near Pennyville, which give off clouds of dust on windy days, would be rehabilitated in line with the City's greening strategy. "The City is currently working with DRD Gold SA, Crown and Harmony mines in greening and rehabilitating the mine dump tailings. This work will help in reducing the impacts of pollution experienced by all communities and residents located nearer to mine dumps." Looking back
Activist and well-known resident of neighbouring Noordgesig, Ma-Vesta Smith, was also at the launch. She took the gathering a step back into the past of housing developments in the area. She had come to live in Noordgesig, a township on the northern outskirts of Soweto and a stone's throw from Pennyville, way back in 1941. "Noordgesig was supposed to be a temporary location then but it survived until it was made a permanent settlement in 1994. The location of Pennyville today was an empty tract of land where cows and goats belonging to an orphanage at New Canada used to graze." Noordgesig grew, with the addition of Noordgesig Extension 1 and Omoville, Smith said. "My grandchildren and my great grandchildren moved to these extensions and now my great, great grandchildren have moved into the new township of Pennyville. I hope the good relationship that has been sustained over the years between these extensions of Noordgesig and the original Noordgesig will be extended to Pennyville." To mark the launch, Masondo, accompanied by Mokonyane and Smith, planted a tree and officially opened the Pennyville Crèche. Related stories:
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