Tshwane gets human settlement upgrade

A new social housing project in Tshwane is a welcome relief for residents who now live closer to work.

Minister of Human Settlements Nomaindiya Mfeketo launched the R300 million Thembelihle Social Housing project in Tshwane, Gauteng.

The Minister confirmed that the housing project is an example of how to integrate mixed housing in the inner city, as a way of undoing the apartheid legacy of racialised spatial planning.

“This provides a wonderful opportunity for beneficiaries, who now get to stay close to their areas of work, reducing the often high transportation costs that come with being located in the periphery of our cities,” she said.

Thembelihle Village provides affordable rental accommodation to over 2 000 people who occupy the 733 mixed-type units consisting of bachelor flats and one, two and three-bedroomed flats.

It targets people in the low to medium income bracket, who earn between R3 500 and R15 000 a month.

“People are also closer to hospitals and schools. This is the surest measure of changing people’s lives for the better and government is proud of this,” said Minister Mfeketo.

The Minister was accompanied by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Dikgang Moiloa, and the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga.

MEC Moiloa acknowledged the progress made in providing social housing to the people of Gauteng, but cautioned that there is still a long way to go as the housing backlog in the country continues to grow.

Executive Mayor Msimanga expressed his satisfaction with the development at Thembelihle Village.

“We have a backlog of 220 000 houses and 183 informal settlements in Tshwane, but it gives one pleasure to see that this establishment provides an opportunity for people, who would have never thought of living in the city a chance to get decent and affordable accommodation,” he said.