Day: September 5, 2022

Minister Simmers to officially reopen Spine Road following closure due to floods in June

The Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, will officiate the ribbon-cutting and reopening of Spine Road, between Kuilsriver and Khayelitsha.

The re-opening follows a six weeks closure to the public due to 20 metres of roadway that was washed away by rainstorms in June. Spine Road is an integral infrastructure asset, as it is a strategic link between communities and their jobs.

Minister Simmers said: “The official reopening of Spine Road is a welcomed relief as it is a significant contributor to the local economy as an access road for labour, the transportation of goods and services. Once again, the Western Cape Government has proven its capabilities in expediting essential service delivery for citizens and not only repaired the damaged section of the road but also innovatively installed new mechanisms that will mitigate against future erosion.”

Source: Government of South Africa

The City’s Water and Sanitation Department will be conducting zero pressure tests on the main water supply to the Westlake Upper area. This work will result in the disruption of water supply to this area bounded by Steenberg Road and the Simon Van Der Stel Freeway on Thursday, 8 September 2022, from 21:00 until 04:00 on Friday, 9 September 2022.

Zero-pressure testing is part of the installation process for pressure management technology. Tests are done to see if there are any unmapped inflows that need to be taken into account before smart pressure reducing valves are installed.

Residents are kindly advised to store water in clean, sealed containers for use during this period and ensure that their taps are closed to avoid water loss and/or damage when the supply is restored.

This work forms part of the City’s Water Demand Management Strategy. Managing water pressure more effectively reduces the possibility of pipe bursts and water wastage.

The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is aware of a fire that broke out at the Legal Practice Council building that is located at 123 Paul Kruger Street in Pretoria. The fire started approximately around 08:20 on 05 September 2022.

It is worth noting that the fire did not spread over to the North Gauteng High Court building that is situated right next to the Legal Practice Council building. None of the buildings that are under the custodianship of DPWI were affected by the fire outbreak.

There was even no evacuation that was conducted at the North Gauteng High Court. Court proceedings continued uninterrupted by the incident. As DPWI, “we will, however, monitor the situation in order to prevent any flares to the properties under our custodianship.”

Source: Government of South Africa

The City of Cape Town has suspended its MyCiTi and Dial-a-Ride services in Hout Bay in the interest of the safety of commuters and personnel. This is after public violence erupted in Hout Bay this morning, Monday 5 September 2022, which included the stoning of MyCiTi buses and private vehicles in and around Suikerbossie and Hout Bay Gateway Circle, as well as the burning of tires at the Circle.

Many MyCiTi commuters and Dial-A-Ride(DAR) users from Hout Bay have been left stranded due to the violence. Unfortunately, the City can only resume services once it is safe to operate in this area.

'We have confirmation that three MyCiTi buses have been stoned in Imizamo Yethu, one of which was petrol bombed. Thankfully, we have not been informed of any injuries to passengers or bus drivers. I want to condemn the violence in the strongest possible terms. Fire and stones will not resolve anything, we all need to abide by the law and engage in a peaceful and respectful manner,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

The City notes the complaints from the Hout Bay Taxi Association (HBTA) regarding the compensation related to the roll-out of Phase 1 of the MyCiTi service.

The City has been engaging with HBTA since 2014 in respect of this process and will continue to do so. This matter is currently on the Western Cape High Court roll, it has been initiated by HBTA, and the City is awaiting the court's ruling on this matter.

'Any behaviour that results in learners and workers not being able to commute, as well residents feeling unsafe and being the victims of violence, and any damages to public or private property must be condemned for the thuggish and brutish activities that they are. This unfortunate suspension of MyCiTi and DAR services has a direct impact on the livelihood of these passengers as they depend on the availability of these transport services, but we cannot risk their safety while this unrest continues,' said Councillor Quintas.

The City will continue to engage with the HBTA and will be meeting with the leadership from the community to find a solution. Law Enforcement is currently working with other joint operational services to ensure access in and out of the area as far as possible.

The City cannot risk the lives of the passengers and its staff while this violence continues. We will only resume operations once it is safe to do so.

Source: City Of Cape Town

Today, 5 September 2022, City of Cape Town officials visited its new R93 million inner city social housing project, Maitland Mews. The project is expected to deliver 204 affordable rental units and demonstrates what is possible when government and the private sector work together. The City with social housing institution Madulammoho Housing Association and Calgro M3 Developers came together to provide well-located affordable social housing close to the city centre.

Funding for the project is made available through the Consolidated Capital Grant from the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), loan finance from the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), equity from Madulammoho and a discounted land price from the City to enable social housing.

This development forms part of a broader precinct development comprising more than 1 000 affordable housing units. It also potentially makes way for the financing of further affordable housing units on the larger site of this precinct development through a subsidy for first-time homeowners that is administered by the Western Cape Government, working with the banking sector.

Maitland Mews is situated close to public transport, schools, places of worship, a library and a police station. It is a short walk to Koeberg and Maitland Stations, is on the MyCiTi bus route and is less than seven kilometres away from the Cape Town central business district.

'It is incredible to see the progress that has been made on site. We turned sod here just six months ago and much progress has already been made. The City has a number of inner city social housing projects currently under way and are all progressing steadily. We are committed to developing affordable housing opportunities in urban centres across the metro in an inclusive, fair and ordered manner. Social housing developments are complex with a host of legislative requirements to adhere to before development can take place. We have repeatedly stated our commitment to ensuring the creation of more affordable social housing opportunities. I am proud to see this in action here today.

'Thank you to the Madulammoho Housing Association, Calgro M3 Developments, the Western Cape Government, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority and other government and private partners. We make progress when we work together and we look forward to additional partnerships on this site and across the metro to help create more affordable housing opportunities,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

Facts about social housing:

• It is managed by accredited social housing institutions (SHIs).

• SHIs are solely dependent on rental income. They receive no operational grants. They are able to service their debt finance through rental income.

• As with any rental contract, tenants formally enter into lease agreements. The landlord is the SHI.

• If tenants do not adhere to their lease agreements, the responsible SHI will follow the necessary legal process. Tenants must therefore pay to stay as the rental money is used for the day-to-day operation and upkeep of the complex.

• The City has nothing to do with the day-to-day management of SHIs, the rental amount or evictions for not paying.

• Before potential beneficiaries can apply for social housing, they are required to register on the City's Housing Needs Register.

• Projects are developed on well-located, accessible land in and near urban centres.

• It is not low-income subsidised government housing, such as Breaking New Ground (or the commonly called RDP housing and it is not City Council Rental Units).

• It is managed with 24-hour security and access control.

• The City may sell City-owned land at a discounted price for social housing developments to make projects economically viable.

• Social housing offers improved access to social facilities and other amenities.

• A single grant subsidy can benefit on average five households versus one household for Council rental units.

• Social housing adds value to vacant pieces of land.

• Social housing has the potential to improve property values in an area.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has not received any forensic report related to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) fire.

This comes after the publication of an article by the Daily Maverick, which claims to have a police forensic report.

“The department has been inundated with media requests for comment,” a statement from the department read on Monday.

“GDoH has unfortunately not seen the so-called report and as such, the department is not in a position to comment on it.”

Parts of the hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg, have been shut down since the fire broke out last year.

The reports then stated that the fire affected the dispensary and spread to various sections of the parking lot multi-storey structure, destroying R40 million worth of stock, personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers from COVID-19 and other essentials.

According to the Maverick article, a copy of a South African Police Service (SAPS) forensic report shows that arson was the cause of the fire at CMJAH on 16 April 2021.

The provincial department has since advised the media to confirm with SAPS if they have indeed issued such a report and to who the report was issued.

Source: South African Government News Agency

An urgent review is required as part of measures to meet the upscaled housing delivery targets, says Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.

“Left to run its course, the current plan will perpetuate the [housing] backlogs and the only way this will change is through a review of policy, funding mechanisms, implementation plans, targets and outputs.

“The review we are proposing is required across income categories, regions and provinces,” Kubayi said at the Human Settlement and Exhibition Indaba currently underway at the Durban Exhibition Centre.

The two-day event started on Sunday. It brings together local governments, parliamentarians, civil society, local communities, the private sector, professionals and practitioners, scientific and academic community, and other relevant stakeholders. It aims to find solutions to the housing challenges.

Kubayi warned that the scale of delivery required to effect the desired development outcomes will not be achieved with the current project pipeline and funding trajectory.

She said the affordable housing sector, including rental and social housing, has been identified as a key opportunity based on the available plans and documentation in place.

“The Affordable Rental and Social Rental Housing programme should serve as a case for good practice implementation. Lessons learnt from these programmes should then be transferred to other priority programmes in the sector and includes the human settlements Bulk and Link Infrastructure Programme (BLP), the Informal Settlements Upgrading Programme (ISUP) and the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP),” said Kubayi.

She said the available resources and policies need to be implemented to realise the required developmental outcomes.

“This can only be achieved by ensuring that investments in the housing sector, which are dispersed by different institutions in the public and the private sector, are brought together in a collaborative framework that will ensure increased impact.

“As government, we are utilising all the available resources to create a conducive environment for partners in the private sector and Development Finance Institutions to invest in the sector,” the Minister said.

Social housing

Within government, Kubayi said, the Department of Human Settlements, including the Social Housing Regulatory Agency (SHRA) and the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), has initiated a collaborative relationship with the Infrastructure Fund (IF) to create a framework for large scale financing proposals for catalysing the implementation of the Social Housing Projects (SHP).

Kubayi said this has potential to increase investment into the sector from R1 billion and 3 000 units per year currently, to about R15 billion and up to 45 000 units per year by 2025.

“This would be a positive step in reducing the estimated investment gap of R144 billion and a backlog of 320 000 units in the social housing sector. In its plans, the NHFC has budgeted debt transaction approvals of R1 billion over the three-year period, which is an average of R362 million per annum.

“Given that the Loan to Value in Social Housing is 30%, this debt approval would necessitate Consolidated Capital Grant (CCG) approvals of R2.3 billion in the same period, or R760 million CCG approvals per annum. This is in line with the SHRA’s MTSF [Mid Term Strategic Framework] allocation of R4 billion, which is an average of R800 million allocation per annum,” Kubayi said.

The Indaba is held under the theme, ‘Transforming Human Settlements environment through accelerated planning, implementation and public-private partnership’.

Source: South African Government News Agency