Low cost housing for whites: "Low cost housing for whites"
East London - White families living in shacks and caravan parks in the East London area are not excluded from government's housing programmes because of their race, the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements said on SaturdaySpokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said a number of families who were living below the poverty line had complained to the government because they thought that they did not qualify for housing."Some white families are living in shacks close to the beach and in caravan parks beside dumps," Sicwetsha said."They think they do not qualify for housing programmes, but white families living below the poverty line are not excluded from government housing programmes because of their race."The department has an inclusive housing policy and programmes for all races who qualify for different categories on housing programmes."Sicwetsha said the department had different categories geared towards providing houses to people in the province.Such programmes include low cost housing scheme for people with a monthly income of less than R3 500 per month.Those who earn above this amount qualify for other schemes such as social rental housing scheme which accommodates people with a monthly income of between R3 500 and R7 500 per month."In an effort to close this gap the department has granted funding to social housing companies to build rental housing units in Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City, earmarked to provide decent affordable rental homes to hundreds of low and middle income workers." President Jacob Zuma recently handed over housing units to Emerald Sky, a social housing project that accommodates all races who meet the required income of between R3 500 and R7 500 a month.Sicwetsha said three other projects were under construction in the Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City Municipalities.The one in Buffalo City was nearing completion."White families who qualify on these programmes must contact the responsible social housing companies for applications and those who earn less than R3 500 per month must apply through their local municipalities for low cost housing assistance," Sicwetsha said.
Keywords - Tokyo Sexwale, President Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela Metro, moladi, low cost housing, poor, housing program, race, poverty, social housing, rental housing
Showing posts with label social housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social housing. Show all posts
Metro has R335m shortfall for housing projects
The Herald Online
Metro has R335m shortfall for housing projects2009/08/26 POLITICAL EDITOR
NELSON Mandela Bay has a shortfall of R335-million for the housing projects it wishes to implement in the current financial year, the housing and land committee was told yesterday.
Briefing the committee on the performance of the past financial year and looking ahead, executive director Seth Maqetuka said the metro had received R376-million but needed R711-million with the provincial department having requested motivation for the projects it wished to pursue and “realistic cash flows for the additional funding”.
Maqetuka said the metro had been promised additional funds that would come from the local authorities, whose performance to date had “not been very positive”.
He said the target for the past financial year ending in June had been 5 000 units and the directorate had delivered 8301.
With regard to the accreditation process, Maqetuka said the metro had level two and would submit a business plan by the end of next month.
An assessment of the municipality’s compliance with level one would be conducted by the province on September 9.
As far as social housing was concerned that sought to address apartheid residential patterns, Maqetuka said four land parcels had been identified and two social housing partners identified. Pipeline projects included the Walmer Gold site, Mount Croix and John Street, Uitenhage.
He said a workshop of social housing would be held on Friday when details of all projects would be released.
The committee was also told yesterday that informal settlements “will remain a reality for decades”.
A lengthy presentation on the subject listing the challenges in areas such as land invasions did not, however, satisfy some councillors.
Andile Mfunda (ANC) said he did not want to know about operational issues and administrative details but “time- frames in terms of which the people in shacks will be relocated. We want a programme of action”.
Mfunda warned that shacks were “a big issue”, adding that by 2014 “we must have dealt with shacks not only here but in the whole of South Africa”.
The committee was told that currently there were 105 informal settlements in the metro occupied by about 26950 households, of which 95 were on municipal land and 10 on private land. Of these, 13950 will have houses built where they are with the balance being relocated.
The housing backlog currently stands at 80 000.
With regard to land invasions, the committee was informed that during the three months to June this year, the land invasion sub-directorate patrolled 117 areas across all wards seven days a week.
During this period 963 illegal structures were demolished in Schauderville, Booysen Park, Tiryville, Kleinskool, Motherwell and KwaNobuhle.
In addition, 12 house invasion cases were investigated at Langa, Chatty, Walmer and Motherwell.
moladi is closer to its goal www.moladi.net or www.moladisouthafrica.co.za
Metro has R335m shortfall for housing projects2009/08/26 POLITICAL EDITOR
NELSON Mandela Bay has a shortfall of R335-million for the housing projects it wishes to implement in the current financial year, the housing and land committee was told yesterday.
Briefing the committee on the performance of the past financial year and looking ahead, executive director Seth Maqetuka said the metro had received R376-million but needed R711-million with the provincial department having requested motivation for the projects it wished to pursue and “realistic cash flows for the additional funding”.
Maqetuka said the metro had been promised additional funds that would come from the local authorities, whose performance to date had “not been very positive”.
He said the target for the past financial year ending in June had been 5 000 units and the directorate had delivered 8301.
With regard to the accreditation process, Maqetuka said the metro had level two and would submit a business plan by the end of next month.
An assessment of the municipality’s compliance with level one would be conducted by the province on September 9.
As far as social housing was concerned that sought to address apartheid residential patterns, Maqetuka said four land parcels had been identified and two social housing partners identified. Pipeline projects included the Walmer Gold site, Mount Croix and John Street, Uitenhage.
He said a workshop of social housing would be held on Friday when details of all projects would be released.
The committee was also told yesterday that informal settlements “will remain a reality for decades”.
A lengthy presentation on the subject listing the challenges in areas such as land invasions did not, however, satisfy some councillors.
Andile Mfunda (ANC) said he did not want to know about operational issues and administrative details but “time- frames in terms of which the people in shacks will be relocated. We want a programme of action”.
Mfunda warned that shacks were “a big issue”, adding that by 2014 “we must have dealt with shacks not only here but in the whole of South Africa”.
The committee was told that currently there were 105 informal settlements in the metro occupied by about 26950 households, of which 95 were on municipal land and 10 on private land. Of these, 13950 will have houses built where they are with the balance being relocated.
The housing backlog currently stands at 80 000.
With regard to land invasions, the committee was informed that during the three months to June this year, the land invasion sub-directorate patrolled 117 areas across all wards seven days a week.
During this period 963 illegal structures were demolished in Schauderville, Booysen Park, Tiryville, Kleinskool, Motherwell and KwaNobuhle.
In addition, 12 house invasion cases were investigated at Langa, Chatty, Walmer and Motherwell.
moladi is closer to its goal www.moladi.net or www.moladisouthafrica.co.za
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