Little progress on Lindiwe Sisulu's 'de-densification' plan

21 June 2020 - 00:00 By S'THEMBILE CELE
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Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. File photo.
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. File photo.
Image: Trevor Samson

Minister of human settlements Lindiwe Sisulu has not delivered on her promise to relocate thousands of residents of informal settlements in order to enable social distancing in densely populated areas.

Two months after Sisulu announced the "de-densification" of some of SA's most populated informal settlements, construction is yet to begin on at least six of the major sites.

This is despite a special dispensation given to contractors to work during the higher alert levels of the coronavirus lockdown.

When the minister's office was approached for comment on the status of the project, her spokesperson referred the matter to the department.

In an interview with the Sunday Times this week, acting director-general Neville Chainee conceded that in many instances there has not been "actual construction", but said the department would be working to expedite the matter in the coming weeks.

The department had committed to building 1,174 units in Duncan Village, East London. Only two showhouses appear on-site, while 50 units are being assembled off-site.

In Alexandra, Johannesburg, the department has so far only mustered "social facilitation" towards its commitment of 4,581 units.

"The beneficiaries have to be in agreement with the plans and where exactly they would be moved to," said Chainee.

In Diepsloot, Johannesburg, contractors are yet to start work on 2,208 temporary units but relocation for 1,248 approved beneficiaries to completed units in the Riverside Project will take place next month.

In Cape Town, the department committed to building 2,000 units in the Kosovo informal settlement and 1,600 multi-storey temporary residential units in Dunoon. The department said contractors had been appointed but planning approvals from the City of Cape Town were still pending. In the case of Dunoon, attorneys had been appointed to attend to legal problems.

Chainee appeared to shift the blame for the delays to contractors and suppliers.

"It wasn't for lack of trying, it wasn't for lack of commitment from our side," he said. "Once you had appointed the contractors, they had to then source the raw materials or the inputs to be used in the construction, and during that period of lockdown there were certain uncertainties."

At the start of the lockdown, Sisulu said the project was important in order to allow people in densely populated areas to socially distance. In April, she announced a R4.6bn allocation to the initiative.


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