Breede valley and Paarl housing development projects on track

Western Cape Human Settlements Minister, Tertuis Simmers, says he is pleased with the steady progress that the housing development projects in Transhex, Breede Valley and Del Josafat and Vlakkeland, Paarl, are making.

Yesterday, Minister Simmers, Provincial Departmental officials, the Mayors of Drakenstein and Breede Valley Municipalities, along with their respective Mayoral Committee members and municipal staff visited these projects, to get a first-hand account of the headway the projects are making.

Each of these projects are at various development stages, with Transhex’s phase 1 being on track to deliver 3226 mixed housing opportunities, 4 places of worship, 1 site for a primary school and 6 business sites. This phase is envisaged to be completed by 2022.

The Del Josafat and Vlakkeland developments are on track to, together deliver more than 4600 mixed use housing opportunities, which is inclusive of social housing. It is envisaged that Vlakkeland will be completed by June 2023, while Del Josafat will be completed by 2024.

Minister Simmers said: “I commend the Department’s officials and contractors who are working at a rapid pace to ensure that houses are delivered to the most vulnerable and needy in our communities. The visit has shown me first-hand the provincial government’s commitment to restoring dignity and creating a better life for people living in the province.

I do however call on all stakeholders including the municipality to improve its communication about the progress of the project, so that all parties, both internally and the communities are fully informed with the correct information, including the beneficiary administration process.

As much as we are making steady progress, our backlog continues to grow in the face of an increasing population and a shrinking budget. It is therefore critical that we focus are finding innovative and creative ways to make our budget stretch further including upgrading informal settlements and unlocking opportunities for the affordable/GAP market; so that we provide opportunities to more people.

Over the next few weeks, I will be returning to the areas to conduct public meetings about these projects. As the Western Cape Government, we remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery, while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient and sustainable human settlements in an open opportunity society.”