OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Saturday
MORE than one billion rand ($125m) will be invested in rebuilding Alexandra, Johannesburg’s most overcrowded township as part of government’s urban renewal plan, a housing official announced on Friday.
The development of the township, scene of violence last week linked to forced removals of squatters, is already underway, Gauteng provincial housing minister Paul Mashatile said at a media conference.
“We have made mistakes,” he admitted, apparently in reference to the South African Human Right Commission branding the forced relocations a human rights violation.
More than 3_000 families living illegally in shanties along the banks of Alexandra’s polluted Jukskei river were moved last week, sparking clashes with police in which several people were injured.
Housing department chief director Carien Engelbrecht told the press conference the project to develop the township, northeast of Johannesburg, was a direct result of flooding last year that left about 1_200 people homeless.
She said at least 11_000 people would be relocated from their informal shacks, built out of wood and iron, along the river banks.
Alexandra, dubbed “Dark City”, is a slum with massive overcrowding, poor infrastructure, rampant crime and stifling air pollution.
About 60% of its residents are unemployed, more than double the provincial rate of about 28%.
Engelbrecht put the total cost of the project at R1.3bn, about 46% of which would go towards building houses. About 350_000 people live in Alexandra, which only has infrastructure to support about 70_000. As part of the project, new infrastructure, such as water, sanitation, electricity and roads, will be provided, along with public transport facilities. – AFP