The City’s Portfolio Committee Chairperson for Human Settlements, Councillor Anda Ntsodo, and the Portfolio Committee members visited two of the City’s Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP) projects today, 23 August 2022. The two projects, located in Kalkfontein and Ottery, will see upgrades including the provision of taps and toilets.
Councillor Ntsodo and the Portfolio Committee members conducted oversight visits to the Kalkfontein informal settlement near Blue Downs and Ottery’s Freedom Park informal settlement. Both projects seek to upgrade an area of informality with planned access ways, including for emergency services, black-top roads, one-to-one services and tenure.
Kalkfontein is well located and accessible in terms of transportation routes and local economic development corridors. The site is approximately 16ha in size and currently houses approximately 765 structures. The approved layout accommodates 833 opportunities and includes the provision of toilets, taps, and electricity connections.
The Freedom Park project will provide upgrades and services such as sewer and water connections on a one-on-one basis, black-top roads and stormwater services for the registered 159 families of Ottery’s Freedom Park informal settlement, securing tenure for residents who have been living there for many years and improving their lives in a very real way. The settlement currently has limited basic services due to the lack of space and access as this was an unplanned settlement.
‘Informal settlements will likely remain a feature in the metro for the foreseeable future. This requires us to come up with innovative ways to uplift our residents in the interim. As such, we are taking proactive measures to improve the lives of residents by providing a higher level of basic services.
‘It is positive to see these projects progressing so well. It is important that we work with our communities and they support the alternative accommodation types that are on offer. Our upgrade projects are about partnerships and innovation. This is in line with the City’s commitment of bringing greater formality to informal settlements where it is possible to do so; to mainstream basic services provision and to improve the lives of its most vulnerable residents amid rapid urbanisation.
‘We will continue to engage with the communities throughout this process. Should any residents have any queries or concerns, they are encouraged to contact the City. These projects, as with all City projects, are dependent on community support and cooperation. We thank the communities for their patience and for working with the City over the years to ensure that these upgrade projects becomes a reality,’ said Councillor Ntsodo.
Beneficiaries of City housing projects will be selected in accordance with the City’s Housing Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register to ensure housing opportunities are made available in a fair and transparent manner that prevents queue jumping and to those who qualify for housing as per the South African legislation. The City’s political office bearers do not have access to or influence over the Register and its qualifying beneficiaries.
Anonymous tip-offs welcomed: Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.
Source: City Of Cape Town