Valhalla Park housing project – City works to connect homes to electricity grid
24 January 2025
The City of Cape Town’s Human Settlements Directorate has finalised the appointment of a new contractor to connect the electricity supply to homes in the Valhalla Park housing project. City staff and contractors have been preparing the necessary areas for the electricity infrastructure on site, in order for all homes to be connected to electricity supply as soon as possible.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Carl Pophaim and the Human Settlement’s teams visited the housing project to assess the progress made by the contractor and City staff thus far.
‘Today, 24 January 2025, my teams and I visited the Valhalla Park housing project to assess all progress and I am pleased to announce that all arrangements are in place and since the appointment of the new contractor, the site preparations have already commenced. The electricity connections will commence as soon as possible, if all goes according to plan. The City will continue to communicate with all residents and relevant stakeholders throughout the process and will address any concerns they may have.
‘We have engaged with the residents of the housing project this morning and we have committed to ensuring that their electricity supply is connected as soon as humanly possible. We are confident that the new contractor will deliver and our teams are working closely with them to ensure that the final processes are seamless.
‘Our teams recognise that this aspect of the housing project has taken some time and we thank residents for their understanding while we complete the electricity connections to their homes. The City has an open door policy and will always engage with residents and community about their concerns. ‘This project is one which faced a number of challenges during its implementation and we have learnt valuable lessons from them. Without community support, it would have been particularly challenging, and we wish to thank Alderman Theresa Thompson for continuous engagements with the community and for assisting our teams on the ground during these challenging times’ said Councillor Pophaim.
Reducing the risk of unlawful occupation of empty units
‘It is important to note that when the beneficiaries took occupation, they signed a document agreeing to the occupation ahead of connection, as is protocol to reduce the risk of unlawful occupation of empty units. However, unfortunately, subsequent to that, the appointment of the electrical contractor was delayed due to finalising the design approvals.
The City then consulted with the residents as the units were completed in December 2023 before the festive season and builders’ break.
‘Knowing the violence, extortion and risk of unlawful occupation, there was consensus with the beneficiary community that they would take occupation prior to the installation of electrical services by the City to mitigate possible risks. Beneficiaries were again informed at the hand over and at the Housing Consumer Education that units have no electricity. Beneficiaries are given the option of accepting or not accepting a house without electricity. This is standard practice. To date, all beneficiaries who moved into houses have signed an acknowledgement letter stating they accept moving into the house with no electricity,’ said Councillor Pophaim.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
