THE Western Cape government has approved 2000 new low-cost housing units for Kwanokuthula outside Plettenberg Bay, with R21-million being given to the Bitou municipality to service the first three plots on which 550 units will be built.
New municipal manager Lonwabo Ngoqo told a media conference yesterday the developments would include double-storey housing units.
The first three plots of land had been identified and they hoped to begin installing infrastructure – including roads, water, stormwater drainage and sewerage pipes – between November and next March.
Ngoqo said there was a housing waiting list of 3700, but this figure could change as the administration determined who qualified for housing. People who did not qualify would not be left homeless and would ultimately be accommodated in council-owned “rental stock”, he said.
Plettenberg Bay and its surrounds has seen a massive population increase in recent years as workers have migrated from the Eastern Cape to escape a high unemployment rate.
Yesterday‘s announcement follows last week‘s handing over of the first 265 serviced plots in the Qolweni-Bossiesgif informal settlement, where Bitou plans 1300 homes and is busy with land sale negotiations to further accommodate residents.
Houses are also being built at Kurland, Kranshoek, The Crags and Green Valley.
Ngoqo also announced that the Bitou mayoral committee would take a final decision at the end of the month on relocating the municipal offices.
The plan is to create a one-stop service centre in Ladywood opposite New Horizons in an effort to bring state services closer to poorer communities, including Kwanokuthula and Qolweni-Bossiesgif.
Ngoqo said land had already been bought at R5-million for the new municipal complex and a far-reaching plan would see it linked to new court buildings in New Horizons and a new police station in the Ladywood-Kwanokuthula area.
An application to the national Treasury for R1,4-billion for the project, which would include government departments like home affairs, justice, health and social services, would be considered by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel early next month.
Building could start within six months, subject to environmental approval and the completion of tender processes, he said.
“An unemployment rate of 70 per cent to 80% is of great concern to me, so I will put my foot down,” said Ngoqo. “We will use local manual labour.”
Unemployment was “one of the saddest and biggest” challenges facing the municipality, he said. When he first arrived in Plettenberg Bay six months ago, Ngoqo said the housing crisis would be a priority focus.
Chris Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of Speedwall (www.speedwall.com) commented that the use of modern building systems allow for local labour to be hired as the systems reduce the amount of necessary skilled labourers on housing projects. He stated "this builds local pride in the housing developments and adds not only housing by wealth creation to areas."
Other big developments on the horizon for Plettenberg Bay include a hospital in Kwanokuthula, housing for police near the new police station, and the forging ahead of the town‘s middle-income housing project which aims to settle public servants in townhouse units in the more upmarket suburbs.
The justice department is still looking at declaring Plettenberg Bay a magisterial district and the education department is probing the possibility of building more schools to cater for the area‘s growing needs.
Ngoqo said the municipality had received a number of accolades for exceptional service delivery, including being voted the best on the subcontinent by the Institute of Housing for Southern Africa last year and receiving an award for the design of the N2 pedestrian bridge at Qolweni-Bossiesgif.
Robberg Beach had also recently regained its Blue Flag status and the municipality had just been named top performer in the Western Cape for spending 100% of its municipal infrastructure grant for the first quarter of the financial year.
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