The Gauteng department of human settlements is looking into rehabilitating old, abandoned, invaded, and dilapidated buildings in the province’s inner cities.
MEC Tasneem Motara revealed this during her budget speech vote delivered at the Gauteng legislature on Wednesday.
Motara said the buildings would be used for rental or subsidised housing. Occupiers of hijacked buildings in the Joburg CBD who qualify for subsidised or nonsubsidised housing will be catered for, Motara said.
“We have to enter into a legal agreement with the City of Joburg or the property company, depending on who owns the property. We have very few properties that we own as provincial government in the precinct. But those that we do [own] will be fully rehabilitated for either rental stock or fully subsidised housing,” she said.
Motara also said housing allocation would be prioritised and would be the 1996-1999 applicants, people with disabilities, child-headed households, and military veterans.
“The elimination of the title deeds backlog will continue to receive priority as evidenced by the robust actions we are taking to register outstanding title deeds. We will be focusing on fast-tracking the registration and transfer of subsidy homes and issuance of title deeds to households. Land and housing ownership are critical elements in winning the battle against the asset poverty of poor households.”
Jeanette Chabalala
www.sowetanlive.co.za
