On Tuesday, 29 September 2020, 13 beneficiaries received the keys to their new Breaking New Ground (BNG) homes in the City of Cape Town’s R41 million Lourensia Park Housing Project in Somerset West. The City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, and Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, were there to congratulate the new first-time home owners and to hand over their keys. They were accompanied by Subcouncil 24 Chairperson Alderman Stuart Pringle.
The selection of beneficiaries for housing projects has been done in accordance with the City’s Allocation Policy and the City’s Housing Needs Register to ensure that housing opportunities are allocated to qualifying beneficiaries in a fair and equitable manner that prevents queue-jumping. The beneficiary target areas are determined in consultation with the community’s representatives, and submitted to a Housing Allocation Committee for approval. Mr. Peter Samuels (58), Ms. Florence Pienaar (52), Mr. Leon Prins (52) and Ms. Kariema Samuels (56) are among the new first time home owners.
‘Despite some of the challenges faced along the way in trying to deliver opportunities to our beneficiaries, we are committed to seeing our housing projects through to the end for their benefit. Today is a perfect example of achieving our goals for the benefit of our residents. I am so pleased to see houses being handed over to these beneficiaries today. We celebrate with them and their families as they begin a new phase in their lives. For the first time, they are home owners and have a place they can call home,’ said Mayor Plato.
The project comprises various phases, with the first phase comprising 216 units having been completed in December 2011. The current project, Lourensia Park Phase 2, was started in 2017, with the engineering services completed by the end of 2017. The construction of the housing units for Phase 2 started in 2019. This phase of the project comprises 150 opportunities and 111 beneficiaries have received their homes so far.
‘The accommodation need in Cape Town is pronounced and we will only succeed by following a systematic approach of first come, first served and without queue-jumping. We must safeguard our housing projects, despite the great pressure from urbanisation, illegal land occupations and the diminishing national grants for human settlement developments. We need all Cape Town residents to support us in our endeavours and to work with us to ensure we are able to establish a more inclusive human settlements environment for the benefit of all.
‘We are looking at all options to see how we can help to enable the delivery of housing opportunities to our beneficiaries on a larger scale. We need radical national housing reform, innovation and greater private sector partnerships if we are going to keep up with the enormous demand for housing opportunities for those earning less than R22 000 per month. Our draft Human Settlements Strategy, which is currently out for public participation, proposes a number of interventions. We encourage members of the public to read through it and to have their say,’ said Councillor Booi.
View and comment on the draft Human Settlements Strategy
Please visit www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay. In addition, the executive summary of the strategy is available in three official languages at subcouncil offices during the public participation period, which closes on 30 November 2020.
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