Social housing development in Marabastad nears completion

The Housing Company Tshwane (HCT) has started the process of registering tenants at the soon-to-be-completed Townlands social housing development in Marabastad. 

Townlands offers low-cost rental to qualifying Tshwane residents who fall in the income band of R1,850 to R22,000 per month. Once completed, the development will have 1,200 units, making it the largest social housing development in South Africa. 

Tshwane’s MMC for human settlements Ofentse Madzebatela conducted a joint oversight site inspection at Townlands with the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) on Thursday. 

SHRA is an entity of the national department of human settlements which is responsible for investing in, enabling and regulating the social housing sector. The authority partnered with HCT in the development of the Townlands project. 

Madzebatela said the Townlands project was nearing completion with phase 1 92% and phase 2 84% complete. He said completion of the entire development is expected in the first quarter of 2024. 

HCT had started getting tenants for eight completed blocks and was “currently at 342 tenants in 342 units”.

He said applications for people earning between R11,301 and R22,000 will be open from November 1 until the development is fully occupied. 

“It is important to note that only eligible applicants will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and that the units are for rental only, with rental charges calculated based on the gross household income,” he said. 

 TimesLIVE