94 Residents moved into the Forest Village housing development

It’s with great joy that I note that between 1 March 2021 and 20 April 2021, 94 qualifying and deserving beneficiaries have taken occupation of their homes in the Forest Village Housing Development in Eersteriver. This means to date, 2 672 people have already moved into this new integrated community. 

Those who moved in are from the local area, with only 9 being from Vygieskraal in Athlone.

The Forest Village Housing Development has benefited residents from across the Cape Metropole. 579 of these residents are N2 Gateway beneficiaries, 504 are from the Southern Corridor, 154 are Priority Cases  and  1 435 are from the local area, which includes Eersteriver, Eersteriver South, Electric City, Faure, Dreamworld, Blue Downs, Malibu Village, Kleinvlei, Rosedale, Mfuleni and Fairdale.  

With this development we are demonstrating the Western Cape Government’s commitment to ensuring that more of our residents, especially those who are most vulnerable, live in improved and safer conditions. 

We’re committed to making a tangible difference in people’s lives. It is for this reason that we prioritise the elderly, persons living with medically certified disabilities, those that have been on the Housing Demand Database (HDD) for 15 years and longer as well as our backyard dwellers.

Mr Frank Lawrence (77), a beneficiary from the local Ward 108, Mfuleni said: “Living in a shack has not been pleasant. For the first time in a very long time, I had a good night’s rest. I love my place.” 

Vygieskraal couple, Mr Jacob Jacobs (53) and Mrs Sana Jacobs (62) said they’re also pleased to have this life changing opportunity. Mrs Jacobs added: “Living in informality for so long was not good. The constant shooting and gang fights made it unbearable and unsafe. Having moved here, I already feel much safer and it it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I thank all those who made this move possible.”

I’d like to implore all the beneficiaries to value their new asset and take care of it. They should also draft a will, so that a legacy is left behind for their children. 
 
Beneficiaries must not consider renting or selling the property, as doing so would suggest that they never had a housing need to start with. It is important to note that should a beneficiary wish to sell the property within the first 8 years after receiving the property, compelling reasons for the sale would be required, permission from the State is needed, while Government should be given the first opportunity.

Forest Village is one of the Department’s Catalytic Projects, which commenced in January 2016 and has a budget allocation of R1.1billion. This mixed-use development consists of various types of units to cater for beneficiaries of different income levels and specific needs such as Military Veterans, Breaking New Ground (BNG) and Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) units.

As the Western Cape Government, we remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery, while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient, safe and sustainable human settlements in an open opportunity society.