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R10bn housing project
28 November, 2005
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By Siyabonga Mamphumulo
eThekwini has taken a bold step towards creating a more integrated city. The city council has unveiled a far reaching plan to build low- to middle income dwellings on a site between Mount Edgecombe and Phoenix. This will bring working class people closer to places of employment near Gateway, as well as to yet-to-be developed commercial and industrial sites in north Durban.
It will also mean that ordinary people will be living a whole lot closer to the affluent, traditionally white enclave of Umhlanga. During the first phase of the Phoenix East Integrated Housing Development, homes will be built for nearly 20 000 families. About R10 billion has been budgeted for the project. The proposed development is in line with national Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu's call for integrated neighbourhoods. People with a monthly income of less than R1 500 qualify for free housing valued at R50 000, while those who earn R1 500 or more will be eligible to buy units valued from R80 000 upwards.
Mayor Obed Mlaba said the development would not only “correct distorted racial patterns of residential settlements but also create job opportunities”. Mlaba said the new project would fit in with developments such as the King Shaka Airport and Sibaya Casino. "There's an improper distribution of employment as most activities are based in the south whereas a lot of people actually live in the north of the city," he said.
The DA's Lynn Ploos van Amstel, however, cautioned that there had not been proper consultation and predicted a lot of controversy around the project. The 1 200ha of land for the project which were bought from the Tongaat Hulett property company, Moreland, will be used for semi-detached, double storey and triple storey residential units as well as schools and clinics.
Rich and poor
The mayor believes the mixture of low and higher-income housing units will ensure integration of the rich and poor. He dismissed concerns that the development would dent property prices in the Umhlanga area. The first phase of the new housing project is expected to be completed by some time next year, and many people from shack settlements around the city would be moved there.
Cllr S'bu Gumede, Chairman of the city council's Procurement and Infrastructure Committee, said the land for the housing development was akin to the biblical Canaan. "We are saying to people who live at Kennedy Road and other informal settlements that the Promised land will be ready in no time," he said.