Minister of Minister of Human Settlements Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu and Human Settlements MEC Tertius Simmers have welcomed 209 housing beneficiaries into their new homes at the Anchorage Social Housing Project in Glenhaven, Bellville South.
The formalities took place on Tuesday March 9.
According to the MEC’s spokesman, Marcellino Martin, work started on the development in October 2018 with a budget close to R200 million.
“It consists of a total of 512 social housing units. The first phase of social housing consists of 416 apartments arranged in four-storey walk-ups in five buildings,” he said.
“To date, 209 of the completed 416 units as part of the first phase are occupied. The second phase consists of a single four-storey building of 96 units.”
On the day, Minister Sisulu congratulated the Western Cape for having the greatest number of social-housing projects in the country.
“Already eight projects have been approved for implementation and this includes this one and another one in Mitchell’s Plain. All of them are expected to deliver close to 3000 units,” she said.
Features of the Anchorage project include: centralised water heating, a smart metering application for purchasing prepaid utilities, access to fibre and television over fibre as well as a park with mini-basketball courts and a children’s play area.
Mr Martin said the rentals were determined by tenants’ personal circumstances and the size of their units. Rentals range from R535 to R2600 a month for the single- and two-bedroom units.
For 70-year old resident, Rodney Johnson, the opportunity to move into the Anchorage housing project arrived at the prefect time.
“I’m incredibly happy, as over the last while I’ve had some personal challenges, but this has improved my life significantly. I’m pleased that I have a place to call home.”
Another resident, Landiwe Longweni, 26, said her previous home had been unsafe to raise her child.
“I was staying in a wendy house in someone’s backyard. The place was not a good environment to raise a kid, and it was not safe. I applied here because the place is safe and secure, and the environment is safe to raise a child.”
Mr Simmers said: “The fact that residents from various backgrounds, creeds, cultures, sexual orientations and languages are living together in one community, shows true integration. This is exactly what we want to see happening in our societies, as it assists in breaking down apartheid spatial planning.”
The second phase of the Anchorage roll-out is set to happen in June.
Mr Martin said a social housing project in Bothasig was due to deliver 314 units by late August, while a 1055-unit development near the Goodwood train station was envisaged to be completed in 2023, and a 553-unit project in Parow was still in the early stages.