HUMAN SETTLEMENTS’ COMMITTEE VISITS HOSTELS AND INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

TO: ALL MEDIA

DATE: 21 AUGUST 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS’ COMMITTEE VISITS HOSTELS AND INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

On Tuesday 22 August 2023 the Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements will go on an oversight visit to Johannesburg hostels and informal settlements in the Midvaal to assess progress on their redevelopment.

The visit precedes the Committee’s Focus Intervention Study (FIS) – a thorough study to assess the implementation of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements’ programme that aims to alleviate the province’s persistent housing backlog, which sees many continuing to live in precarious conditions.

One of the projects Department’s projects intended to alleviate the province’s housing backlog is the redevelopment of hostels and informal settlements. In another similar project, the Department offers grants to accredited municipalities to undertake sustainable housing development projects aimed at improving the conditions of slum communities. The goal is to facilitate a phased in situ upgrading of informal settlements except in situations where different forms of housing are to be considered due to the inappropriateness of land where the informal settlements are currently located.

As part of its oversight work, the Committee will visit six inner-city hostels, namely, Denver, Murray & Roberts, MBA, Jeppe, George Goch, LTA, as well as theKwa Brown, Mamello, and Piel’s Farm informal settlements in Midvaal.

The oversight visits will enable the Committee to understand the scope of the project, assess work done to-date, challenges experienced by the Department in delivering the project and impact on the livelihood of locals. After assessing the situation, the Committee will make recommendations on relevant action to expedite the project.

Meanwhile, the Department in working with law enforcement agencies to remove illegal miners, alias Zama Zama’s at the Denver hostel.

Members of the media are invited to cover the oversight visits which will run concurrently on Tuesday, 22 August 2023: