Mega housing project for BCM on the cards

A mega housing development project is on the cards for Buffalo City Metro.

The council has approved a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz SA to build houses on at least four portions of land.

The car manufacturer submitted an application to BCM to buy erf 47 453, portion eight of farm 1 215, the remainder of farm 1215 and a portion of erf 913 – all in West Bank, East London, for the construction of homes for its employees.

However, instead of selling the land, BCM opted to partner with the company on condition that BCM employees should also be accommodated on the sites.

BCM head of spatial planning and development Nonceba Mbali-Majeng told the council recently that MBSA had already undertaken a preliminary feasibility study on the land.

“Subsequently at a top management meeting of the municipality, it was resolved that the space should be for mixeduse housing accommodation and include high density housing, social housing and [a] middle income [GAP] financelinked individual subsidy programme, and low cost housing,” said Mbali-Majeng in the report tabled in BCM council recently, adding that the accommodation should cater for the broader BCM community.

In preparation for the multimillion-rand project a task team comprising BCM, MBSA and provincial human settlements officials visited the General Motors (GM) Housing Project in Walmer Links and Fairview, Port Elizabeth, in December for a study tour.

Mbali-Majeng said a further meeting would be held with MBSA to determine the allocations for MBSA, the metro employees and the broader community.

MBSA corporate communications manager Thato Mntambo confirmed that MBSA, together with Numsa and other key stakeholders, were conceptualising the creation of sustainable human settlement developments in the so-called “gap market” (R850 000 purchase price).

“The proposed development is still only at a conceptual stage. Realising this ambitious goal of developing sustainable human settlements takes time and requires engagement and consultations with our union partner, Numsa, and other key stakeholders, including BCM and the Housing Development Agency (HDA),” she said.

BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said: “We have made a commitment to create a conducive environment for business to invest and operate in the city.

“The proposal by MBSA, when it comes to fruition, will see the organisation set out a mixed housing project which, in the main, their employees will benefit from but over and above that, the project is also earmarked for BCM employees.”

MBSA and metro to partner in creating housing in West Bank