R2bn housing promise

City to spend billions on 36 developments, some of which are already under way

THE CITY’s Transport and Urban Development Authority (TDA) will spend more than R2 billion on new housing over the next three financial years, with at least R500 million budgeted for 2018/19, mayor Patricia de Lille said yesterday.

In a statement, De Lille said the 2018/19 budget was allocated to 36 housing developments which were either in the planning phase, already under way or in the process of being finalised.

“In Area South, we have upcoming housing projects in Grassy Park, Dido Valley, Brown’s Farm, Strandfontein, Vrygrond, Retreat, Ottery, Pelican Park and Philippi,” De Lille said.

“For Area North, the budget has been allocated for housing projects in Atlantis, Fisantekraal, Scottsdene, Hangberg, Durbanville, Salt River and Langa.”

She said under her leadership, the City had committed to undoing the wrongs of discriminatory apartheid rule, including ensuring that “residents who were previously denied property ownership can reclaim that right”.

De Lille said the City had ramped up the handover of title deeds and issued over 16 000 to beneficiaries since 2011.

“In Area South, we handed out over 789 historical title deeds in the 2017/18 financial year while we issued 730 deeds in Area North for the same period,” she said.

“We have also made good progress in connecting more residents to the electricity grid. In Area South alone, we have ensured that 10 166 families have electricity for the first time. The City has also connected 3 039 families to the grid in Area North.

“For the current financial year, we have set aside R113m to ensure that more families across the city have access to electricity,” De Lille added.

She added the City had several projects for this budget, which included R720m for the Table Mountain Group aquifer project, R75m for the Cape Flats Wastewater treatment works refurbishment and R33m for the incremental development area and upgrade of informal settlement project in Sweet Homes, Philippi.

“I am working until my last day in office to build a more inclusive Cape Town that provides opportunities to all residents, that we redress the imbalances of our past and give all Capetonians access to equal opportunities,” said De Lille who steps down at the end of the month.

According to her, in 2011, at her first inauguration as mayor she told residents she was determined to “work tirelessly, day and night, to live up to this vote of confidence to ensure that we do justice to the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all the (city’s) citizens”.

“I said, now you have lent us your vote, you must hold us to account. As the outgoing mayor, I am here to account for the progress we have made. I became the mayor to serve people and not be served.” |