MEC for Human Settlements in Gauteng Tasneem Motara and MMC for Human Settlements in the City of Tshwane Municipality Aaron Maluleke conducted a site inspection tour of Eersterust, Tshwane on Tuesday.
The two also conducted a public participation meeting in the area.
The aim of the inspection was to assess housing conditions in the area while the public participation meeting was aimed at directly engaging the local Eersterust community on key human settlement issues.
According to jubilant Eersterust residents, it was the first time that a Gauteng Provincial MEC for Human Settlements had visited the area.
Speaking to the media in Eersterust, MEC Motara said her focus was on several key housing issues:
1. The old four-roomed houses which were built between the 1960’s and the late 1980s.
“The biggest challenge in this regard is that many families, sometimes up to four families are living in one house,” she said.
“We will have to relocate three out of the four families living in a four-roomed house and issue title deeds to those who are beneficiaries,” explained Motara.
2.The local informal settlement which was a land invasion matter that took place during the Covid-19 period and of the 1 149 shacks that are there, 79 families are on a central road reserve and they have to be relocated as a matter of urgency because SANRAL needs to complete the construction of the said road.
“We have pleaded with the community not to allow any further expansion of the informal settlement because that scenario is going to stall our plans and we have also pleaded with the community not to build any permanent structures because the cost of demolishing such structures will have to be borne by us but we are working with the City of Tshwane to relocate them,” said Motara.
3.The old historic Nantes flats that are City of Tshwane Municipality Council property which will be refurbished in consultation with the City of Tshwane Municipality and ultimately be transferred to their owners with title deeds.
MEC Motara pointed out that the land on which the Eersterust informal settlement stands is not developable because of the type of soil there and that there is a floodline in the area.
“When we have informal settlements we try to look at whether the settlement can be upgrade as it is; we reblock the area and install services like water and electricity; we install road and sewerage infrastructure but in the case of the Eersterust informal settlement it has turned out that it is not developable and we therefore have to relocate the people living there,” she said.
Motara revealed that there is land that has been earmarked by the City of Tshwane for the relocation process but refused to say as to where the said piece of land was situated as such information will lead to those who are not beneficiaries of the relocation process grabbing the land.
She said that SANRAL would be going to court to get an eviction order to remove those who may be unwilling to be relocated because the land that they are staying on is unsuitable for human settlement purposes, and that they as government authorities want to avoid any future natural disasters.
Local Councillor Benjamin welcomed the MEC and City of Tshwane’s decision to relocate the Eersterust informal settlement dwellers but pointed out residents must be told as to where they will be relocated.
MMC Maluleke told residents that immediately after coming into power as the ANC/ EFF/ ActionSA coalition in Tshwane they embarked upon a walkabout of the Eersterust area and decided to consult with MEC Motala who will lobby on behalf of the people of Eersterust to make sure that habitable areas for the people of Eersterust.
“Many projects regarding housing happened only in Mamelodi since the dawn of democracy but not in Eersterust,” said Maluleke.
“We want to make sure that people of Eersterust don’t get left behind regarding the building of houses in the area, hence we are meeting together with different ideas but a common purpose which entails upgrading the living conditions of the people of Eersterust,” he said.
“I’m so happy to see leadership coming to Eersterust and see for themselves and now I believe progress is coming,” said Cynthia Kelly.
Another happy residents Thomas June said we will see changes and it is about time and things will change and he believe in new administration.