Somerset West housing project progressing well
NEWS
The City of Cape Town is pleased with the progress of its R41-million Lourensia Park housing project and that it is ever closer to enabling redress for the beneficiaries of this project as first-time homeowners .
The project comprises various phases , with the first phase comprising 216 units having been completed in December 2011 . The current project , Lourensia Park Phase 2 , was started in 2017 and the engineering services were completed by the end of 2017 . It was followed by the construction of the housing units for Phase 2 , which was started in 2019 . This phase of the project comprises 150 housing opportunities . Thus far , 49 beneficiaries have received their homes . The selection of beneficiaries for housing projects has been done in accordance with the City ’ s Allocation Policy and the City ’ s Housing Needs Register to ensure that housing opportunities are allocated to qualifying beneficiaries in a fair and equitable manner that prevents queue-jumping . The beneficiary target areas are determined in consultation with the community ’ s representatives and submitted to a Housing Allocation Committee for approval .
“ Despite all the general setbacks we experience as a City in trying to deliver opportunities to our beneficiaries , such as budget cuts and the constant orchestrated land invasions that are especially placing our housing programme at risk , we are committed to seeing our housing projects through to the end for the benefit of our beneficiaries .
THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
The selection of beneficiaries for housing projects has been done in accordance with the City ’ s Allocation Policy and the City ’ s Housing Needs Register .
“ The accommodation need in Cape Town is pronounced and we will only succeed by following a systematic approach of first come , first served without queue-jumping . We must safeguard the integrity of our housing delivery programmes despite the great pressure from urbanisation , land invasions and the diminishing national grants for human settlement developments . We need Cape Town as a society to support us in our endeavours and to work with us to ensure we are able to establish a more inclusive human settlements environment ,” said the City ’ s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements , Councillor Malusi Booi .
eThekwini Municipality fined R1.2-million for failure to enrol subsidy houses
The NHBRC Disciplinary Committee has fined eThekwini
Municipality R1.2-million for failing to enrol 60 subsidy houses which were under construction at
Inanda ( Umqhawe Project ).
The Municipality , which was also the developer in this case , commenced with construction of 60 residential units without enrolling the homes with the NHBRC . This is in contravention of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act 95 of 1998 which requires that all new homes are enrolled with the NHBRC 15 days prior to construction .
Home enrolment insures consumers against poor building practises and permits the NHBRC to conduct building inspections at key stages of construction prior to commencement of construction .
The Municipality pleaded guilty to all 60 charges proffered by the prosecution and was accordingly found guilty as charged by the Disciplinary Committee ( the ‘ DC ’).
Furthermore , the DC further imposed the following :
• Counts 1 – 60 : R25 000.00 per count of which R5 000.00 per count is suspended on condition that the developer is not found guilty of a similar transgression within the next two years ; and that the developer complies with the late enrolment requirements within a period of six months from date of receipt of the written ruling .
• A sum of R300 000.00 is suspended subject to the conditions .
• Should the developer re-transgress and be convicted of a similar transgression by the DC within the period of suspension ( two years ) and / or fail to late enrol the units in question , the suspended portion of the fine will come into operation .
The eThekwini Municipality has paid the R1.2-million which is a record single payment to-date and a first from an organ of state operating in the subsidy sector .
“ We are happy with the sanction imposed as it shows that such contraventions will be dealt with harshly in order to deter similar conduct in future and hope that going forward the Municipality will be proactive in ensuring compliance and not wait for enforcement and disciplinary sanctions by the NHBRC ,” said NHBRC Acting CEO , Songezo Booi .
www . saaffordablehousing . co . za NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2020 7