MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A whopping 9 000 households are waiting for homes in Mossel Bay.
This is according to the Mossel Bay Municipal housing demand database.
Good news for some of these desperate families is that building of the state-provided houses in KwaNonqaba, along Louis Fourie Road, seems to be progressing well.
On enquiry, Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers told the Mossel Bay Advertiser: "The anticipated completion of the project is May 2022.
He said: "The Louis Fourie (Mountainview) housing project is implemented through subsidy programmes such as the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP), Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) and Social and Economic Amenities Grant.
"There are plans in the pipeline for the Social Housing Programme which will consist of 300 housing opportunities. The project consists of 725 double-storey Breaking New Ground (BNG) units and 278 double-storey FLISP units."
For backyard dwellers
Simmers said the housing was intended for backyard dwellers who had registered on the municipal demand database.
Mossel Bay Municipality has criteria for selecting beneficiary allocations on all housing projects and will apply to this project in conjunction with the national and provincial policies, Simmers notes.
The BNG units will be for beneficiaries falling in the R0 to R3 500 per month income category.
They will receive a structure of minimum size of 45m², consisting of two bedrooms, a separate bathroom with a shower/bath, a hand basin and a toilet and a combined kitchen and living area.
The FLISP units will be for beneficiaries who earn between R3 501 and R22 000. Beneficiaries must obtain a bond from the financial institution for them to qualify for this subsidy programme.
Marketing, sales
The Human Settlements Department will appoint the service provider to assist with the marketing and sales of the FLISP units. It is estimated that the selling price will be R350 000 to R400 000.
The size of the FLISP units are 45m² but they will have "extra finishings" compared to the BNG units, Simmers notes.
With regards to the houses being built at Asazani/Izinyoka, on the hill above De Bakke, Simmers says: "This project is more than seven years old and was implemented in various phases. The total project size is 731 units and it is now in the last phase of construction."
This area has been characterised by informal housing for many years now, mainly make-shift little structures from zinc.
Simmers said: "The current phase consists of 258 units. To date, 105 units have already been handed over to the beneficiaries. The implementation of the project is according to the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP), whereby beneficiaries were residing in an informal settlement structures had to be moved to allow for the constructions of the new BNG single-storey units."
Simmers said the project had catered for beneficiaries falling in the R0 to R3 500 per month income category being provided with homes of a minimum size 45m², the same as the basic homes in the Mountain View project in KwaNonqaba.
Completion in May
The Asazani/Izinyoka beneficiaries were allowed to choose the colour paint for their homes themselves. Thankfully they will not have to wait as long as the Mountain View recipients. The anticipated completion of the Asazani/Izinyoka project is May this year, according to Simmers.
Mossel Bay Municipality spokesperson Nickey le Roux noted: "The project has been an economic boost for Mossel Bay labourers as the main building contractor is required to outsource a certain percentage of the work to the local sub-contractors and local labourers. Mossel Bay Municipality's building inspectors ensure that the quality of the product is not compromised."
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