150 houses for KwaNonqaba

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - There is some good news for people in desperate need of homes in KwaNonqaba.

On 1 March construction of 150 homes will start. They will be built using a special brick made from GreenLite concrete, which is manufactured using recycled polystyrene.

Bongani Swartbooi, a facilitator at Yakh' Indlu ("Build House") Housing Association, said the association assisted KwaNonqaba resident Voorman Jende with an application to the provincial Department of Human Settlements for a subsidy for a house.

Yakh' Indlu is a non-profit organisation (NPO).

Jende has been living in a wooden shack in John Maphisa Street. His application for a subsidy was approved and a black-owned contractor, Apex SA Developers, will start work on Jende's new house on Monday, 25 February

According to the GreenLite Concrete website, the brick is thermally efficient, it is fire resistant and ensures accuracy in building. Also, it weighs little because it is made from used polystyrene.

Swartbooi said: "Mr Jende's new house will act as a showhouse and all beneficiaries will be requested to come to see how it is built and the next step on 1 March, will be the start of construction of 150 houses."

Housing construction of this type is taking place in Cape Town and there is also a showhouse in George, Swartbooi notes.

For more information, call Swartbooi (044 693 1210 or 071 003 0101).

He is also the director of the eViwe Community Centre - an NPO which assists children, job seekers and start-up companies - based at the Beehive Complex in KwaNonqaba.

Community leader Ernest Polisi, Voorman Jende and Bongani Swartbooi, pleased with the news that Jende will receive a new house.