City in R100m project to build flats in Langa
Two-bedroom apartments will house apartheid-era hostel residents
THE CONSTRUCTION of hundreds of two bedroom apartments in Langa to house apartheid-era hostel residents will create about 600 jobs and should boost business opportunities and economic growth in the area.
The City of Cape Town is pumping R100 million into the project, with 93 twobedroom units expected to be completed soon so that the first residents can move in early in spring.
The 463 units, which are being built on the Old Depot Site in Langa, form part of the first phase of a project which will ultimately see the construction of more than 1 300 units over the next five years.
During the first phase of the project, 463 households will be relocated from the hostels to apartments which include individual kitchenettes, toilets, showers and solarheated water systems and wash-lines.
Benedicta van Minnen, the mayoral committee member for Human Settlements, said 90 percent of the workers on the project come from Langa.
Van Minnen said the anticipated completion date for the current contract is expected to be around the end of October.
“By mutual agreement between the city council and the construction company, Power Construction, the buildings are being handed over to the city council as they are completed. It is, therefore, expected that the first buildings will be handed over next week.”
Van Minnen said this is one of the largest redress projects in the Western Cape.
“Our vision of eradicating the horrific apartheid-era hostels is visibly being realised.
“Apart from the physical building, we are, however, also trying to contribute to the building of strong family bonds which were shattered in many instances as a result of the national government policies.”
MEC of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said the project is delivering growth and job creation in Langa and the government also offers a range of business support services in the area.
He said during the 2014/15 financial year the Department of Economic Development and Tourism piloted a training programme which assisted more than 1 000 emerging township businesses.
“The programme focused on financial management and sales/marketing skills.
“Businesses from a range of areas, including Langa, participated in this project.”
Winde said the growth of the Western Cape’s construction sector is outperforming national figures.
He said the rolling average over the past 12 months in the province showed that the number of square metres approved for residential building plans increased by 22.5 percent, compared to the national number which increased by 9.2 percent.
“Over the same period, the number of square metres approved for non-residential building plans increased by 15.5 percent, compared to national which slowed by 1.7 percent.”
Van Minnen said some of the families have been living in the terrible conditions in the hostels for the past 40 years.
“I trust that the community will continue to work with the city to ensure that we can complete this project and improve the living conditions of hundreds of families.”
The city’s overall Hostel Transformation Programme will eventually be rolled out to other qualifying beneficiaries in Langa, Gugulethu and Nyanga.