No more shacks for Tembisa

28 February 2006

Joy filled the Rabasotho Hall in Tembisa when the Gauteng MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane announced during housing Imbizo that soon shacks will be a thing of the past in Tembisa. About 16 housing projects have been earmarked for the area to address the 8000 housing backlog.

Local SMME's will benefit from these projects which are labour intensive. "We want to create job opportunities for people so that when the projects come to an end they have something in their pockets," said Mokonyane.

About 30% of women and 5% disabled contractors will benefit from 16 projects. No opportunists will be tolerated in the awarding of tenders. A special task team will be sent to evaluate the company's credibility before being awarded with a tender.

Backyard dwellers who applied for houses in 1996/7 will also receive their share in the projects. Pockets of land have been identified in the area and negotiations are underway. "People who applied in 1996/7 and those living in the backyard shacks are going to benefit in any greenfields projects in this area," the MEC said.

Lazarus Nyandeni, a resident of Vusumuzi informal settlement in Tembisa, said, "I am happy with the work that government has done in this community and I am looking forward to these 16 housing projects that are going to take place. They are going to improve the people's lives".