||:: City plans to eliminate housing backlog ::||

City plans to eliminate housing backlog

10 November 2003

By Nangamso Mabindla

The Buffalo City Municipality is investigating ways to tackle the shortage of housing around the city - a deficit of some 75 000 houses - and is aiming to eliminate this backlog within a decade.

An outline of the strategy to combat this shortage was presented to council representatives and members of the Buffalo City Directorate of Development Planning at a housing workshop held at the Osner Hotel in East London on Friday.

Statistics, based on research conducted by Rhodes University, indicated that the city's population would increase to an estimated 1.2-million by 2020, up from the current South African census figures of 888 000. In light of the research data, Buffalo City would have to incorporate a further 55 000 households, or 270 000 more people, into their plans, over and above the current 75 000 shortfall.

The current housing backlog in East London was 48 173 housing units, while King William's Town had a shortage of 15 910 houses and the rural areas were short of an estimated 10 955 dwellings.

Friday's workshop, hosted by project managers and consultants, Tshani Consortium, identified key aspects of the housing development plan. Tshani Consortium's Tom Wanklin said the plan should be able to integrate communities in a suitable environment where all residents had access to a variety of accommodation opportunities. "It should also include easier access to transport, social facilities and employment."

Wanklin outlined the consortium's plan, setting out the stages of delivery alongside the proposed deadlines. These included:

Finance be pledged to fast track the housing delivery programme;
A proactive, multi-disciplinary plan to deliver houses be drawn up by the end of 2004; and
At least three community support centres be developed in strategic positions by the end of 2006.

Prospective beneficiaries had to be identified and a waiting list for houses had to be drawn up. Prospective beneficiaries also had to also be educated about their rights, while developers had to investigate the needs of prospective homeowners, including people with special requirements such as physical challenges.

Buffalo City representatives gave the thumbs-up to the consortium's proposals, which will now be forwarded to the council for approval.