Residents of the Happy Valley informal settlement in Blackheath now have their own brand new, neat, fully-electrified plaza with essential shops. This is in line with the City’s mandate of creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and facilitating access to infrastructure.

The City has appointed a Facility Manager who will also be responsible for facilitating capacity building for tenants and the marketing of the plaza.

The Happy Valley informal settlement has a very high unemployment rate. The community had been trading from an informal trading site, where they were exposed to erratic weather, had no lockable facilities and operated in unsafe trading conditions. A City-sponsored study indicated that strengthening local markets through the promotion of small and medium enterprises would yield the best results in addressing the challenges of the area.

Mansoor Mohamed, the City’s Executive Director: Economic, Social Development and Tourism, said: “The City launched the Uluntu Plaza project in 2006, with the aim of creating liveable public spaces and market squares, associated with public transport, local businesses and a cluster of social facilities in the heart of Happy Valley.”

Construction of the first phase of the plaza was completed in 2008. A City-appointed contractor completed the last phase of the project earlier this year and the electricity was switched on by Eskom on 29 June 2010. The project cost approximately R2 million to complete.

All the hives of the market are now occupied and the following shops are operating from the plaza:

• Fruit and vegetable vendor 
  
• Airtime/cellphone repairs 
  
• Hair salon 
  
• Cosmetic/clothing shop 
  
• Tuckshop 
  
• Driving school 
  
• Braai area (undercover parking)
  
  

Alderman Felicity Purchase, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Tourism, said: “The City is working towards creating more opportunities for small to medium enterprises in Happy Valley and other informal settlements across the city. Creating local business opportunities plays a key role in uplifting communities.”