Human Settlements
What is his Department doing to assist the Theewaterskloof Municipality to identify municipal land for the settlement of poor people close to opportunities, especially in the town of Greyton?
During 2014 my department assisted the Theewaterskloof Municipality with a review of the housing pipeline which was subsequently approved by the Municipal Council in 2015.
The pipeline is updated annually and projects are reprioritised, if needed. The objective of this process is to promote alignment with the Municipal Spatial Development Framework and the Integrated Development Plan process.
According to the Western Cape Housing Demand Database the demand for Greyton as at April 2017, is estimated at 217. The challenge to date has been that the land parcels identified as suitable for low cost housing during the pipeline review, is situated on portions of Farm 39 which forms part of the “Trust land” or the so-called “transformation land” and can therefore not be serviced by the Municipality.
During a recent desktop land audit an alternative site, which is municipal owned, was identified to be further assessed. My department has subsequently received the Project Initiation Document and is currently considering the application for the release of planning funds to allow the Municipality to continue with feasibility studies.
