Bright new dawn for Diepsloot
More than R1bn earmarked for township’s development
ONE of South Africa’s most impoverished townships, Diepsloot, is in for a massive R1-billion-plus upgrade as the City of Johannesburg supports a provincial government initiative to transform it.
The township north of Johannesburg, home to some 130 000 people, has seen small-scale development over the years.
Now, in an unprecedented move, South Africa’s wealthiest municipality has moved Diepsloot from the waiting list to one of its top priorities in urban service delivery.
The lion’s share of the city’s R10.4-billion capital budget has been earmarked for poor and underdeveloped areas.
The list includes Orange Farm in the south, the inner city, Ivory Park in the east and Alexandra, which is next to Sandton.
In Diepsloot, construction has started on a R50-million upgrade of Ingwenyama Drive, the area’s main road, which will feature pavements and cycling lanes.
Within months, 2 229 homes will be built in Diepsloot East and another 5 000 homes in the south of the township. Waste management, sanitation and water infrastructure will also be improved.
Khomotso Mphahlele, 32, a mother of two who has lived in Diepsloot for 13 years, was optimistic after hearing details of the city’s plans this week.
She said she hoped Diepsloot “will finally look like other developed townships, such as Soweto”.
“Those with cars are happy that they will finally be driving on proper tarred roads,” said Mphahlele, who works at a construction company.
Speaking soon after tabling the city’s budget on Tuesday, Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau said city bosses viewed Diepsloot as an “integral part of the city” and not just a “settlement for the poor on the corner”.
“There is a deliberate intention in the budget to invest in the northern parts of the city, particularly the informal settle- ments, because they play an important role.”
He said most migrant workers arriving in Johannesburg tended to settle in either Alexandra or Diepsloot and that increased interest among private developers gave impetus to the city’s new approach to these areas.
Private initiatives include a R100-million shopping centre to be built by Investec. And Steyn City, a mixed-use residential and commercial development by insurance magnate Douw Steyn, will be built between Dainfern and Diepsloot.
Tau said the city intended to extend its Metrobus service to Diesploot within two years.
The city’s efforts come on the back of a Gauteng provincial government initiative that includes:
An additional 12 000 homes for the area; and
Two primary schools, a high school and a 24-hour health centre.
These two projects are earmarked for the eastern part of Diesploot, where access is difficult at the moment. But construction will start once work is completed on two overhead bridges.
Later this year, a skills training facility — part of the R1.6billion Riversands Commercial Park public-private partnership — will open its doors within walking distance of Diepsloot.
Riversands, a joint venture between the government’s Jobs Fund and Century Property Developments, is coupled with a 33 000m² “incubation hub” that will provide training in a range of areas such as manufacturing, light industrial, engineering, technical and artisan services, agro-processing and information technology.
An industrial park linked to the development is touted as likely to create 15 000 jobs.
For Mautla Maela, a former security guard who now works as a safety manager, the burst of development in Diepsloot — which began its existence as a “temporary” informal settlement in 1995 — is long overdue.
“Diepsloot is the child of democracy and really needs such developments, because many people here are unemployed and this will give them hope,” said Maela.
Diepsloot councillor Rogers Makhubele said that with more than 20 projects either under way or in the pipeline, Diepsloot would never be the same again.