Pensioner Mr John Mokali (74) who was living in Uitkyk informal settlement for approximately 10 years and Ms Yvone Herman and her husband Mr Salmon Brair from Railway informal settlement as well as Mr Deon Hendriks from Canhaal informal settlement were among the first 16 beneficiaries who recently moved into their new serviced units at the IDA.

The Sir Lowry’s Pass Village IDA.

Residents who live in the IDA will each have access to basic services including a flushable toilet, water and a washbasin with a mounted tap as well a prepaid electricity meter to be installed by Eskom in due course and as soon as possible.

In future, those who are registered on the Housing Database and who qualify in accordance with the State-subsidised housing criteria will be eligible for a subsidised house. In accordance with the national criteria which are used to determine who qualifies for this subsidy, beneficiaries must earn less than R3 500 per household and they may not have owned a house previously.

Today, 25 April 2019, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements Councillor Malusi Booi visited some of the beneficiaries and their families.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, visits Mr Salmon Brair and his wife Mrs Yvone Herman who recently moved from Railway informal settlement to the Sir Lowry’s Pass Village IDA.

‘The first beneficiaries and their families are settling in comfortably. I was very moved as they shared their appreciation with me because this winter they will not be living in an area which is prone to flooding.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, with Mr Deon Hendriks from Canhaal informal settlement who recently moved into his new unit at the Sir Lowry’s Pass Village IDA.

‘Over the coming months, more beneficiaries will be moving from the flood-prone informal settlements such as Uitkyk, Rasta Camp and Canhaal, among others. These residents are at high-risk during the winter months when it rains.

‘The purpose of this development is to provide residents living in the IDA with increased service delivery though the provision of these units and also by providing them with serviced sites where each household will have access to one-to-one services.

‘The provision of IDAs is in line with the City’s commitment to improving the lives of our residents over time and to help many more residents instead of a few by developing and formalising large-scale developments with full amenities and opportunities over time.

‘We are very pleased, that despite the various challenges that this project has faced, we, along with the community and other parties, have worked together to see this project become a reality. It is providing housing opportunities to some of our most vulnerable residents who have been waiting patiently for this day to come while living in challenging conditions.

‘We want to thank our beneficiaries for their patience and we look forward to seeing more families move into their units over the coming months,’ said Councillor Booi.

End