Jeppestown Social Housing Project a prime example of redressing apartheid spatial plannng and providing dignified, affordable and well-located housing

In line with my duties as the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) Secretariat, today I conducted an oversight visit to the Jeppestown Social Housing project in Johannesburg together with head of Infrastructure South Africa, Professor Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and the team from the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA).

The project was gazetted by the DPWI as a Strategic Infrastructure Project (SIP) in July 2020. This follows the inclusion of the project in the Infrastructure Investment Plan approved by Cabinet on 27 May 2020.

Since 2020, I have been visiting various SIPs across the country to inspect progress as part of reporting progress on the Infrastructure Investment Plan to Cabinet.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan is also a central part of government’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) to grow the economy through investment that leads to greater job creation.

The Jeppestown Social Housing project is an Inner-City building conversion and extension for the delivery of 95 social housing units with retail facilities on the ground floor and started in March 2020 and was completed in July 2022 to the value of just over R33.7million with R25,6 million of the overall contract amount contracted to SMMEs.

The project created 230 jobs with 227 of those jobs benefitting youth during the construction phase.

So far 50 units have been occupied. This inner city development is an affordable rental complex with rentals ranging between R626 to R4866 per month for the various units depending on size and specification. The development includes a mix of studio, 1 bedroom and 2-bedroom units in the building.

The project was implemented by the GNI Social Housing Company which made an application to the SHRA for grant funding and were awarded the Consolidated Capital Grant.

75% of the project was funded by the SHRA and 25% was funded by National Empowerment Fund through a combination of debt and equity funding. The development was marketed to the public and beneficiaries applied directly to the Grant Recipient’s property management resources. They were allocated units on a first-come-first-serve basis according to the social housing income criteria

(Primary/Secondary Beneficiaries).

The Jeppestown Social Housing Project demonstrates government’s efforts to redress apartheid spatial planning through well located Human Settlements and providing dignified housing in line with the Constitution of the Republic and the Social Housing Act 16 of 2008. The project further assists with the delivery of housing units to address existing shortages of housing.

The project was implemented by the Department of Human Settlement’s agency, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) with coordination and oversight conducted by ISA.

The Jeppestown development was gazetted as a SIP due to its social development impact through job creation, social impact and economic empowerment, redressing Apartheid spatial planning through well located Human Settlements and providing dignified housing.

The project is a prime example of infrastructure investment in action and speaks to the aims of the ERRP through economic transformation, job creation, skills development, consolidating the social wage through reliable & quality basic services, spatial integration, human settlements, social cohesion and safe communities. I was pleased with the progress of this project as it is one of many in the

Infrastructure Investment Plan which are underway and completed.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan comprises 62 projects covering the water and sanitation, human settlements, digital, agriculture, transport and energy sectors.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan is a clear signal to investors that government is leading the way with infrastructure investment to attract further investment by the private sector to grow the economy and create much needed jobs.

This project not only provides dignified, affordable and well-located housing to lower income families but has also provided economic opportunities for local businesses with businesses occupying the first floor of the development.

The local services and businesses on the ground level of the project include a crèche while the development also has a rooftop area with braai stands and a soccer pitch.

This is the type of development that speaks to a live, work, play, integrated environment as it not only provides housing but also provides services and amenities for residents.

I was very pleased with the completed development and wish to thank the teams from the Department of Human Settlements, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), ISA, GNI and local government for their support and work on this project to ensure we provide decent, well-located housing to communities in need.

Source: Government of South Africa