MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP) project, funded by the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, intended to improve all households living in informal settlements through an incremental upgrading process, is well under way.
Zutari, appointed as the implementing agent of the municipality, is responsible for coordinating and managing the overall deliverables of the project on behalf of the municipality.
The Mossel Bay UISP Project was initiated to embark on the incremental in-situ formalised upgrading of all informal settlements in the municipal area, for all eligible resident households living in the more than 28 informal settlements within the municipal area through the incremental/phased upgrading/formalisation of the living conditions of all resident households in the informal settlements by the UISP strategy developed for the municipality.
The project will be implemented in various phases over nine years, linked to the funding made available annually from the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements.
The first phase of the project consists of a Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) facility and 680 enhanced serviced sites that will be constructed in the Asla Park C, Asla Park E, Transand Camp, and Emfuleni informal settlements.
Contract value of about R61 million
Entsha Henra is the appointed civil contractor for a contract value of about R61 million. The construction period for this first phase started in March 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by September 2023.
The TRA facility is being constructed on Erf 2510, Mossel Bay, which is a school site that is made available to the project for the duration of the nine-year implementation period of all the phases of the project.
The TRA facility will consist of 250 temporary housing units with ablution facilities and storage units.
Beneficiaries living in the informal settlements will need to remove their informal structures from the TRA facility and store their material and belongings with them in the TRA until the serviced sites are ready.
The beneficiaries will then be relocated to enhanced serviced sites where each family will be provided with a toilet structure with a flush toilet and a tap.
A detailed relocation strategy and plan are formulated in conjunction with the affected communities. The first relocations are scheduled to take place in about June 2022, as soon as the TRA facility is operational.
Most of the informal settlements are in the KwaNonqaba area, with others located in Brandwag, Great Brak River and Ruiterbos. There is a project website where regular updates are posted.
Anyone interested in following the progress of the project can visit www.mbuisp.org for regular updates on the project.
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