Turffontein ready for major social housing project

08 July 2016

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau on Thursday July 7 broke ground in Turffontein, southern Johannesburg, paving the way to the development of social housing in an area described as “Johannesburg's icon of integration”.

 

“The people of the south have expressed sincere happiness and joy at the City of Johannesburg’s focus on the development of the South, especially the Greater Turffontein area. This sod turning marks the start of the development of Turffontein to enable beneficiaries to live in better areas. It will also create numerous opportunities. Over the next few years the South – including South Hills and Rotunda Park – will see a series of commercial and residential developments,” said Mayor Tau.

 

The Turffontein social housing project is being spearheaded by the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO), an entity of the City.

The project will, on completion, deliver 528 homes – 120 one-bedroom units; 384 two-bedroom units; 24 communal rooms with shared facilities and 16 units for people with disabilities.

 

“The reality of this area is that it is overcrowded and new social housing opportunities such as this will not only alleviate congestion but will also greatly contribute to the overall redevelopment of Johannesburg South,” Mayor Tau said.Located

 

 on Portion 88 of Farm Turffontein 100IR, the development site is currently accessible from Evans and Forest streets, with future access planned through Schuller and Peer streets.

 

The development, which has a project value of R210-million, will also include parking and access control infrastructure.

 

The development is expected to be completed by March 2018. Unit rentals are projected to range from R700 to R2 000 a month.

 

The City and JOSHCO invested R802-million in Region F over the past five years to deliver housing opportunities and alleviate poverty, support human development and growth, contribute to economic development through job creation opportunities and overall economic growth, and improve urban efficiency to enhance the City’s overall sustainability.

 

Mayor Tau said 52 local co-operatives had benefited from these developments through the Jozi@Work Programme.

 

He added that through these developments a total of 360 jobs were created, with more R7.7-million of the total spent going to Jozi@Work packages to deliver on housing.