A number of families can now live in asbestos-free homes thanks to the DA-led Saldanha Bay municipality.
The families lived in informal accommodation units which were purchased in 1992 by the former Hopefield municipality and rented to the occupants. The informal accommodation units were initially purchased for a group of 42 families living in Hopefield from the then Spoornet (now known as Transnet) and were manufactured from asbestos.
To address the serious health risks posed to inhabitants by the asbestos units, the DA-led Saldanha Bay municipality set out to help these residents with more suitable living conditions.
The municipality engaged with the Western Cape provincial government with the aim to replace the structures with a subsidised low-cost housing project. The project was initially designed to replace the initial 42 asbestos units, but an additional 20 units were added to ensure that residents on the Hopefield housing waiting list could also be accommodated. The oldest beneficiary of this project is Carolina Williams who is 78 years of age.
The first group of beneficiaries received their new asbestos-free homes in October 2018.
