By Max Rambau, CORC
On the 13th of May 2011, the Gauteng Department of Housing and the project manager of the Garankuwa Municipality met with FEDUP representatives to discuss the housing project in Garankuwa Extension 20 and 23. The Province and the Municipality were complaining that this project had taken a long time and was not yet completed.
We indicated the reasons why the project had delayed completion that the amount of money that the Garankuwa Municipality was giving us for each house was too little. The municipality was giving out only R5 000 instead of R14 000 for the foundation. We told them that FEDUP has been giving reports to the province and the municipality on this project and why there were problems with completion.
We also indicated that we had written a letter to the Province requesting them to increase the money they were giving us but they instead sent it to Mafikeng in the North West.
The Garankuwa municipality Project Manager, Mr. Hlongwane said that we were working with the higher structure and senior officials and mayoral committee members and that is why there were delays. He said that if we worked with them things would work out very well.
The Province indicated that they had abolished PHP in Gauteng and when we challenged this the official changed and said that it was not applicable in the Greater Tshwane area.
The Province and the Municipality wanted us on a clean slate and proposed that if that would be the case then we need to agree that they should work according to the plans that beneficiaries had already drawn (56m²). The Province did not agree on this and suggested that we close the meeting. He then said that but indicated that they would only build 40m² houses and requested us to go to the beneficiaries to hear from them if they would agree that they be built the 40m².
It was not clear what the municipality would do with those houses that had already been built on 56m² and were on roof level.
We indicated that we would be calling a meeting with the beneficiaries and that we would send a report to the project manager on what the beneficiaries agreed on.
After the meeting we agreed that FEDUP would be calling a meeting with the beneficiaries whose houses have not been built. This meeting will take place on Sunday (15/05/2011) to get the beneficiaries to indicate whether they want the municipality to build them houses.