The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Tasneem Motara, and City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Cllr Dada Morero, today joined forces to hand over 163 newly completed homes to qualifying beneficiaries at the Lufhereng Mega Project in Soweto photos supplied
The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Tasneem Motara, and City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Cllr Dada Morero, today handed over 163 newly completed homes to qualifying beneficiaries at the Lufhereng Mega Project in Soweto.
The handover reflects the collaboration between the three spheres of government
national, provincial and local in accelerating the delivery of sustainable human settlements and improving the quality of life of deserving households across
Gauteng.
The National Department provides policy direction and oversight; the Gauteng Department drives implementation and delivery; and the City of Johannesburg supports integrated settlements through municipal planning, infrastructure and basic services.
Lufhereng is one of Gauteng’s flagship mega projects, designed to create integrated
communities where residents have access not only to decent housing but also to social and economic amenities.
The project had previously stalled owing to funding constraints and implementation challenges.
Through the intervention of MEC Motara
and continued collaboration between the province and the City, it was unblocked,
paving the way for accelerated delivery to qualifying beneficiaries.
Speaking at the handover, Minister Simelane congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to safeguard their properties and title deeds.
“This project was stalled due to a lack of funds. We have unblocked it to ensure that
our people are accommodated and that their dignity is restored,” said Minister Simelane.
“Do not give your house away, because there is no second house coming.”
MEC Motara echoed the call for beneficiaries to protect their homes and warned against the illegal sale or rental of government-subsidised houses.
“It is illegal to sell or rent out an RDP house. We verify allocations through physical inspections.
If we find that a different person is occupying the house, we will have no option but to take it back and allocate it to someone who genuinely needs it,” said MEC Motara.
The MEC said the Department remains committed to eradicating informal settlements and restoring the dignity of residents.
She explained that Lufhereng is intended to accommodate people from Soweto and is being developed as an integrated settlement comprising subsidised houses, bonded houses and rental stock, with planned social amenities including schools, clinics and recreation centres.
She thanked beneficiaries for their patience during the delays.
Executive Mayor Morero encouraged the new homeowners to take responsibility for
their properties and maintain clean, safe households.
He urged them to open municipal accounts and keep their electricity, water and refuse-removal services paid up, and encouraged pensioners and qualifying households to register for the City’s
indigent programme to access municipal support.
The Lufhereng development forms part of government’s broader commitment to
transforming Gauteng’s spatial landscape by building sustainable, integrated and
well-planned human settlements that bring housing, infrastructure, social amenities
and economic opportunities closer to communities.
The three spheres of government reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation in unblocking stalled projects,accelerating delivery and ensuring that government resources reach the intended beneficiaries.
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