Johannesburg - The MMC for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, said the City of Joburg had plans to reclaim hijacked buildings in the inner city for conversion into safe and affordable housing units for the poor and working class of the city.
Mabaso today dedicated a block of flats to the late Phumlani Skhosana, a Jeppestown activist who was famously known for challenging the municipality and provincial government on the plight of hostel dwellers and informal settlers in Jeppestown.
Phumlani Courts, a building converted into flats for social housing, will accommodate the working class of the inner city who cannot afford exorbitant amounts of rent, with the rent for the cheapest flat being R650 per month. The building has more than 100 units, which include bachelors, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom flats.
While addressing crowds at the event, Mabaso said his vision was to ensure that the poor of the city also have opportunities to better their lives. He said being able to afford decent accommodation was a step towards social and economic upliftment.
“There are people who live in the city, but they cannot afford to pay R3 000 and more for rent. Some are being abused by slum lords who have stolen land and are leasing it out to our people. At the same time, these slum lords are preventing the city from collecting rates because they are stealing water and electricity from the city,” Mabaso said.
Mabaso announced plans for new RDP houses in the inner city. He said it should not be taken for granted that everyone who lived in the inner city was employed or could afford a decent life.
“You will see for the first time RDPs in the inner city. It is our responsibility as the government to ensure that our people are catered for. We are very clear in our programme: we need to accommodate these people in informal settlements,” he said.
Mabaso said more buildings would be acquired to enable the municipality to create social housing projects in the city. He said this would enable the city to collect revenue and still provide safe accommodation while ensuring that residents in the city live in clean areas.
“We have cash flow problems because people are stealing services and not paying for rates. We as human settlements are not collecting revenue, but we also do not make profit; our intention is to collect and maintain the building so we can be able to pay for services,” Mabaso said.
Mabaso said part of his long-term vision was to ensure that hijacked buildings would be taken back into the hands of the city to protect residents from being abused by criminals in some of the buildings.
The Star