Cape Town - No one would change the allocation plan of the N2 Gateway housing project in Cape Town, Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu told parliamentarians on Wednesday.
That was 30% of all units would go to “backyarders” and 70% to residents of informal settlements.
In a clear reference to the change of government in the Cape Town metro - now led by a Democratic Alliance administration, together with smaller opposition parties - the minister told MPs, during her budget debate in the national assembly, that the allocation plan for the project - not far from Cape Town International Airport - was detailed in the business plan of the project adopted in 2005.
She noted that the first phase consisting of 705 units would be ready at the end of May.
Sisulu said: “The construction phase took longer than we expected. I also want to reassure all citizens of the City of Cape Town that no one will change the allocation plan.”
The Western Cape government had guided the allocation model and a housing database developed and audited by independent auditors would decide when people would move in, said the minister.
“I have cautioned the (African National Congress) MEC (Richard Dyantyi) in the province that the process of moving people into phase one cannot be rushed, care must be taken.
“No amount of pressure must force us to move people when we are not ready to do so.”
Earlier this month 30 residents of the adjacent Joe Slovo informal settlement invaded the flats after a fire left about 200 people without homes in the area.
Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille has promoted a policy of getting 100,000 of the 250,000 Capetonians off the housing list by getting banks to finance housing for those in the R3,500 to R7,000 a month income category. This would allow public housing to be provided to the poorest of the poor.
She has criticised the N2 Gateway project flats for being three or four times the price of an average RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) house.
She has also argued that the Gateway flats had reduced the capacity of government to deliver housing to the poor as more money had been spent on fewer housing units. FIN24
That was 30% of all units would go to “backyarders” and 70% to residents of informal settlements.
In a clear reference to the change of government in the Cape Town metro - now led by a Democratic Alliance administration, together with smaller opposition parties - the minister told MPs, during her budget debate in the national assembly, that the allocation plan for the project - not far from Cape Town International Airport - was detailed in the business plan of the project adopted in 2005.
She noted that the first phase consisting of 705 units would be ready at the end of May.
Sisulu said: “The construction phase took longer than we expected. I also want to reassure all citizens of the City of Cape Town that no one will change the allocation plan.”
The Western Cape government had guided the allocation model and a housing database developed and audited by independent auditors would decide when people would move in, said the minister.
“I have cautioned the (African National Congress) MEC (Richard Dyantyi) in the province that the process of moving people into phase one cannot be rushed, care must be taken.
“No amount of pressure must force us to move people when we are not ready to do so.”
Earlier this month 30 residents of the adjacent Joe Slovo informal settlement invaded the flats after a fire left about 200 people without homes in the area.
Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille has promoted a policy of getting 100,000 of the 250,000 Capetonians off the housing list by getting banks to finance housing for those in the R3,500 to R7,000 a month income category. This would allow public housing to be provided to the poorest of the poor.
She has criticised the N2 Gateway project flats for being three or four times the price of an average RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) house.
She has also argued that the Gateway flats had reduced the capacity of government to deliver housing to the poor as more money had been spent on fewer housing units. FIN24
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