Durban — Two families have become the first occupants of the low-cost Jika Joe Community Residential Units (CRU) in the Msunduzi Local Municipality.
The project made up of two-bedroom homes, cost the taxpayer R445 million and took four years to complete. The project consists of 14 four-storey walker apartment block. It also consists of 760 low-cost rental apartments.
One of their recipients, an elated Matho Dlamini on Monday said her life and that of her family would change for the better.
Dlamini said she was concerned for the safety of her grandsons and had made them reside with relatives. In the informal settlement, she was afraid of bad influences.
Dlamini said now she will have a proper place to call “home” and reunite with her family.
Dlamini said she had been living at the squatter settlement for 19 years.
“I had lost hope of ever getting decent housing. I am very happy for the furniture and for the geyser that my house comes with, and boiling water to have a bath is going to be a thing of the past now,” Dlamini added.
As the project early-birders, the two women received gifts of beds, fridges and living room coaches from the Msunduzi municipality and the housing department.
More than 400 families who lived at the nearby Jika Joe squatter settlement are expected to move into the project.
The implementing agent Jeff Nxumalo said the housing project had two phases that were ready for occupation. He added that phase 1A was ready for occupation of the rental project, and phase 1B would also start to see occupants moving in next.
Human Settlements and Public Works spokesperson Mlungisi Khumalo said phase 1A cost R164m, and those eligible for occupation had to be households that earned a total of R801 to R3 500.
Human Settlements and Public Works MEC Sipho Nkosi said the rental housing units were the first of decent housing for people.
DA PR ward 33 Councillor Suraya Reddy said the project had stagnated, with its construction on-and-off for almost four years. The biggest challenge was that, to date, nobody had seen a beneficiary list of who were going to occupy the flats.
Reddy was concerned with what happened to those who did not qualify, the affordability for those that had applied, and what happened to the RDP housing they were initially promised?
“Many requests via my portfolio committees and via council, have fallen on deaf ears.
“That is a huge concern for us, but I am happy that the project has come to an end. This is phase one, and we are looking onto the next phases. Bear in mind that beneficiaries need to come from the ward itself,” Reddy said.
“Where will the occupants come from, will they afford to pay the rent monthly?
“Problem is that some people are not happy, saying they cannot even afford the R500 monthly rental they will be expected to pay,” Reddy added.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News