Social inclusion tops list for housing provision in Gauteng 18 June 2007 Gauteng MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane put social inclusion as her department's top priority this year saying that all racial groups must live together. "This will be implemented with the introduction of the inclusionary policy that requires developers of upmarket estates to set aside a percentage of their housing development to low-cost housing for low-income earners." Mokonyane delivered her departmental budget speech for 2007/8 in the provincial legislature on Friday, 15 June 2007 and said the R2,637,948 billion budget is an increase of 21,5% from last year. The inclusionary policy aims to address the apartheid spatial designs where the elite lived in suburbs close to amenities and far away from the less affluent communities. Cosmo City was the first of this kind of project for mixed income housing and has to date prompted the department to build other such developments such as Thorn Tree View and Nelmapius which are ready for occupation. Mokonyane announced that her department, together with the City of Johannesburg municipality, have plans ready to build a similar development in Doornkop during the 2007/8 financial year. This project will have 25 000 different housing units for various income groups. The department is also looking at developing other sites in Mogale City . Mokonyane said during this financial year 10 informal settlements will be eradicated, 145 will be upgraded and 209 will be relocated. More than R1 billion will also be spent on projects already identified as part of the 20 Priority Townships Project. In an effort to fast track housing delivery, the department has undertaken to complement conventional housing construction with Alternative Building Technologies. Already there are two pilot projects underway in areas such as Nomzamo and Kaalfontein, while a third is being finalised. "In this financial year we will be completing 13 hostels throughout the province, the department has also extended the Backyard Upgrade Programme to Boipatong township for the construction of 750 units," said Mokonyane. "This year we also aim to fight some of the challenges in the department such as fraud and corruption and we have already trained 80% of our staff on Fraud Prevention Awareness," she said. The department will also develop an Anti-Corruption legislation to inform those that do business with the department about their stance on Zero Tolerance to Fraud and Corruption. Issued by: Department of Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
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