More illegal occupation and invasions of emergency housing in Marlboro and Alexandra were discovered during a recent inspection by City of Johannesburg MMC for Human Settlements Mlungisi Mabaso.
Following an outcry from residents, Mabaso visited the suburbs and other areas last Friday. On Monday, he assured Marlboro and Alexandra communities that the so-called temporary relocation units (TRUs), which had been vandalised, would be repaired and allocated to the rightful beneficiaries.
Mabaso and his office have obtained an interdict barring further invasions, and have successfully removed illegal occupants from the Marlboro TRUs and begun an assessment of the damage.
The MMC said he was concerned the Marlboro TRUs had experienced more problems compared to those at Madala Hostel.
“Unfortunately, at this site and the other one, further invasions occurred, leading to the tragic loss of one of our own councillors, which was deeply unfortunate. The city has apologised to the family of the councillor and expressed its condolences. Today, we are here to assess the damage and repair what has been broken, as we need to allocate these units in the end.
“We understand the community’s frustration. This site has been under construction for almost four years. At the Madala Hostel site, where no such challenges were faced, the project is complete,” he said.
Mabaso said certificates for relocations and other preparations had been completed.
“The certificates are ready, and we are prepared to begin the allocation process. We will be addressing the community there in preparation for the allocation and subsequent demolition of the hostel. But here, at these two sites, we have encountered serious challenges that have significantly hindered the completion of the projects,” he said.
The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) – the City’s implementing agent for the TRUs – had already started the process. Once the project was completed, JOSHCO would hand it over to the City’s Human Settlements Department for allocation.
“We need to move quickly so we can finalise the project and proceed with allocations. We cannot keep injecting funds into the same project repeatedly, as it places a burden on our budget.
“Next, we will visit Madala Hostel to engage with community leaders as we prepare for allocations. Even with this project, we will need to hold a public meeting to alleviate frustrations and outline our plan for addressing the challenges we’ve encountered,” said Mabaso.
Nokwazi Mtshali, CEO of JOSHCO, agreed that illegal occupation had caused delays, and acknowledged community members were frustrated.
“We understand the community’s frustration; the project has been ongoing for some time. As JOSHCO, we are committed to completing the project so that we can hand it over to Human Settlements for occupation,” said Mtshali.
The Star