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The next six months will see Joburg building about 12 000 mixed income houses in the Fleurhof and Lehae developments, and the City will also soon allocate accommodation in upgraded women’s hostels to beneficiaries.
JOBURG is set to build about 9 000 mixed income houses in Fleurhof, west of the city and another 3 000 housing units in Lehae in the south-western section of the metro, in the next six months.
Residents move into their new houses in Lufhereng
The City will use the funding and power from the government’s Level 1 and 2 housing accreditation to fast-track the housing delivery, said executive mayor Amos Masondo.
Despite the many challenges faced in the last semester, Joburg’s housing department managed to construct some 1 588 housing units around the city and hand over more than 800 houses to beneficiaries in Protea South, as well as 1 977 title deeds in Lufhereng.
About 25 000 houses are envisaged for this latter housing development, the province’s biggest. Construction is expected to take about nine years. Once complete, the suburb will comprise fully subsidised RDP houses for the indigent, affordable housing for low income earners and bond houses for middle-to high-income earners. Residents will also have access to schools, clinics, sports fields and recreational facilities.
Investing in housing
RDP houses in Lehae
Masondo did concede that Joburg still faced “an ever increasing backlog” in the delivery of houses and other services. Going forward, he advised that the City should pursue a new approach to housing, which would “focus on the demand for accommodation, with a view to a realistic supply-side model”.
Masondo added that the delivery of rental accommodation should also be a priority, as not everyone moving to urban areas intends to stay there permanently.
He said the quarterly mayoral road shows and visits to regions and communities added value to the City’s work. “This process gives the City’s political and administrative leadership the opportunity to listen directly to residents, and to be informed and sensitised about the needs of local communities,” he explained.
Issues raised at mayoral road shows were adequately noted and acted on, said Masondo.
“At subsequent meetings we report back to residents on the progress we are making. This two-way process of communication ensures that the people of Johannesburg have a clear indication of how government operates and what actions it is taking to improve the quality of life of residents,”
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