Jozi's rich and poor to live 'side by side'

05 May 2016 - 02:00 By NEO GOBA and PENWELL DLAMINI

Rich and poor will live side by side in one of Johannesburg's prime real estate areas, where the biggest mall in Africa opened last week. Executive mayor Parks Tau said yesterday the city had reached an agreement with the developers of Waterfall Estate in Midrand to introduce social housing units in the prestige development.Delivering his last state of the city address in Turffontein yesterday, Tau said this would allow people who benefit from various housing programmes to live together with the city's rich. "This means more people across a range of incomes are able to live richer lives much closer to where they live, work and play," said Tau."We engaged with the developers of new towns in Waterfall Estate and Modderfontein to ensure there will be affordable housing included in these new mega developments."We've got to overcome apartheid in a city context," he said. "If we are to build inclusive cities, if we are to create an inclusive urbanism in Johannesburg, [then] this is about bringing people closer to opportunities and opportunities closer to people," he told the media.The posh Waterfall area is a mix of luxury housing and commercial properties, also referred to as Waterfall City.The new Mall of Africa, the biggest shopping centre on the continent - is situated within Waterfall.The 130,000m² mall, which cost Johannesburg R5-billion, is located next to the N1 highway at the Allandale Road exit.Tau dismissed views that the properties of the rich would depreciate if subsidised housing units were built in the same area."We are doing it in a way that will prevent depreciation of properties. But we have to say that we have to redesign Johannesburg."Our future as this city must be a city that is inclusive. If we are to really overcome apartheid in a city context, you have to overcome it spatially. Spatially, justice is about your ability to access amenities and opportunities in the city," he said.Tau said more than R30-billion would have been spent on infrastructure development at the end of his mayoral term, achieved through the city's R100-billion capital commitment over 10 years.More than one-fifth of that amount had been allocated to the electrical grid, that brought light and heat to those who had never had power, he said.One of the highlights of Tau's administration was Vulindlel' eJozi, a youth skills empowerment initiative.He also committed the city to continue investing in the green economy and encouraged citizens to use non-motorised transport.Tau was reluctant to talk about his future, saying he would confine himself to the internal nomination processes of his party."I am confident that the ANC will win," he added...

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