Mashatile

MEDIA STATEMENT

MEC MASHATILE MEETS FINETOWN AND ENNERDALE COMMUNITIES

Captions:
MEC Paul Mashatile Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, wiith HOD Matilda Gasela and Special Advisor to the Premier Mxolisi Xayiya addressing the the Ennerdale community.

The community of Ennerdale, being addressed by MEC Paul Mashatile

Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, MEC Paul Mashatile has addressed the challenges faced by the communities of Ennerdale and Finetown.

Speaking to these communities in the South of Johannesburg, yesterday, the MEC told them that the three spheres of government which are National Department of Human Settlements, Gauteng Department of Human Settlements and the City of Joburg Metropolitan Municipality are working together to resolve their housing issues, following a meeting that was held in Pimville a week ago where they raised their dissatisfaction about government’s slow pace in dealing with their housing issues.

The MEC said that the department is working towards acquiring private land near Finetown that will assist in addressing their housing challenges especially the backyard dwellers. He also said that there land that is owned by government and City of Joburg which is ear marked for development.

Mashatile told these two communities that government is prioritising people who applied in 1996, the elderly, and people living with disability, military veterans and backyard dwellers.
“The Minister for Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu has issued an instruction that we prioritise backyard dwellers. We will ensure that we verify and register backyard dwellers that are not registered. We would like to assure you that we have heard your complaints and we are here to work with you to improve your lives,” said Mashatile.
The MEC noted that there is currently a challenge with the sewer system in the South and work is being done around the Sebokeng Treatment Plant which is critical in housing developments.

“We need that plant to be up and running because we cannot do anything without it functioning properly. All these developments will be connected to this plant. We will not only build RDPs but we will also be providing serviced stands where people who can build for themselves can do so. In addition we will register them and give them tittle deeds” said Mashatile.

The MEC added that part of the development includes the construction of roads, electricity connection as well as bulk services.
Addressing the challenges faced by the Ennerdale community, MEC Mashatile said government is aware of the shortage of housing in Ennerdale and noted that housing allocation will in future go with the issuing of tittle deeds, as well as the construction of shopping centres and development of other amenities.

MEC Mashatile went on to say that land has already been earmarked in Ext. 2, 6, 8 and 9 for development in Ennerdale and a technical committee has already started working and looking into the issue of Ext 2, where more than 1000 units can be build. In Ext. 9 the area will be used to bring other amenities like a shopping centre and a government precinct, and if used properly, the land can yield more than 10 000 units. In Ext. 6, work has already started and this will yield 700 units. This work will be unpacked by the surveyor general.
“Housing issues are not racial problems and we will not discriminate and when we develop Ennerdale we start developing ext. 6, it’s not for people in that extension alone but for the whole of Ennerdale, our development is not colour based, but for all of Gauteng”, said the MEC.

MEC Mashatile also pointed out that government will ensure that when actual construction work starts, employment of the local people is prioritised and also when the big contractors come they must be able to sub-contract local businesses.
“Government is serious about sustainable township economy, therefore people from the township must be given business opportunities as well”, said the MEC.
Issued by the Gauteng Provincial Government. For more information contact the Department of Human Settlements – DDG: Keith Khoza on 082 823 9672/071 609 0010.

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