Premier commits to more houses
Meeting seeks to address Thornhill protests
FOLLOWING several housing protests that blocked the R67 and prevented businesses from receiving deliveries, Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle visited Ndlambe Municipality on August 1 in an attempt to appease residents and to update them on developments in Thornhill.
Residents of New Rest and the surrounding area claim to have been awaiting the allocation of houses or land on which to build for the last 17 years.
As a consequence of the protests, a delegation from Ndlambe met with Masualle last month, including municipal manager Rolly Dumezweni, speaker Vivian Maphaphu and councillors Thembani Mazana and Andile Marasi, along with representatives from the housing committee and SA National Civics Organisation. Masualle promised to visit the area to resolve issues.
The meeting was called to discuss all building projects in the municipality, and particular attention was given to the further development of Thornhill.
Masualle said Absa Devco had already developed an action plan for the pre-planning phase of the development, and had issued this as a draft on July 24. However, this project award seems inconsistent with a decision by Ndlambe Municipality in May, when it made clear to the public that the development agreement with Absa Devco would be cancelled in June.
From the project progress report, Masualle pointed out that the supply of bulk water to the area was a priority before any further houses could be constructed. He said he would expedite the matter.
A further 780 houses are planned for this next stage of the project. The project completion date is planned for April 2019. The Department of Human Settlements currently has 3 185 Ndlambe residents registered on its books seeking houses.
A needs register has been established to ensure that houses are allocated to the broadest section of the community, with focus on those with special circumstances. Of the houses to be built at Thornhill, disabled people will receive 10%, 45% will go to older residents, 35% will be for adults and 10% will be allocated to youth-headed households.
So far, 811 residents have been identified using these criteria, but names have been withheld. It is anticipated that this will cause many questions from residents due to the apparent lack of transparency in the process.
Absa Devco has submitted several pre-planning documents, including a completed contour survey and outline figure and layout plan, together with a letter of appointment to the engineer to produce a preliminary engineering design.
At the meeting, Masualle also stated that a transit camp could not be undertaken due to the result of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Residents were unhappy that there was no budget available to provide even rudimentary services in the affected areas. It was anticipated this would cause problems.