13 May 2011
Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale has unveiled 341 new units at the Morgan’s Village III affordable housing project in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, targeting people earning between R1 500 and R3 500 per month.
The project is a partnership between the Department of Human Settlements, its Western Cape counterpart, the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) and the Cape Town Community Housing Company (CTCHC).
“Our priority is to ensure that we provide not only decent, but affordable rental units within the city centre in line with our mandate to ensure that people stay nearer to places of work, clinics and schools,” Sexwale told guests at the event.
Providing affordable rental units
The Morgan’s Village project is the second to be opened by Sexwale in the past two days, the first being in Polokwane. Once complete, the project will consist of 682 mixed development units.
Sexwale said the government was increasing the pace of providing affordable rental units within city centres across the country, in line with its programme “to do things differently and faster”.
“Part of our objective as a department is to ensure that we increase the pace at which we construct and renovate inner city buildings,” Sexwale said. “These houses we are opening today provide exactly that; it gives our people dignity [and] decent shelter at a very affordable rate,” .
Affordable rental units in the inner cities would also help alleviate the housing backlog in the country.
“Many of our people come to cities for work. They come from different provinces of our country, leaving their homes. What they are looking for is decent and affordable rental options, a place they can put their head down, but a decent place,” Sexwale said.
The aim was to build more than 25 000 rental units countrywide over the next three years.
Sapa
