Housing land released to Kurland community
The housing woes of the Kurland Village community, who live on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay, are one step closer to being addressed after a commitment was made last week to release rural development land for housing purposes.
The small village in the Crags just outside town recently attempted to highlight their plight for housing, a school, a clinic, streetlights and a police station through a series of riots.
On 5 July national minister of human settlements Nomaindia Mfeketo and his provincial counterpart Bonginkosi Madikizela visited the community and informed residents that they were in the process of addressing their housing needs, but that the piece of land they had identified for housing belonged to the national department of rural development and land reform.
Rural Development deputy minister Mcebisi Skwatsha visited the community on 12 July and informed residents that the department had agreed to the request from the Bitou government to release a portion of the identified land for housing.
ANC Bitou chief whip Phakie Mbali said the desktop analysis done on the property indicated that the development potential of the site was considered to be about 50ha and that up to 900 houses could possibly be built on the site.
“The deputy minister made the commitment that his department will release the land and we are now calling for the process of the handover to be fast-tracked so that the human settlements department can start with the process of housing development in the area,” Mbali said.
Skwatsha also made a commitment to recruit 20 rural youth from Bitou – 10 from Kurland and 10 from in and around Plettenberg Bay – for the National Rural Youth Service Corps programme.