Conradie housing welcomed, but opposition and housing group decry project’s slow pace

Housing group Ndifuna Ukwazi and the opposition have welcomed the official handover of the first 66 social-housing units at Conradie Park mixed-use development, but have decried the slow pace of the delivery of various forms of affordable and social housing.

The R3 billion project on the site of the 22-hectare old Conradie Hospital in Pinelands is one of the City’s joint central social-housing projects with the provincial government, and was first mooted as a “game-changing project” back in 2015. The 66 apartments are the first of 432 social-housing apartments that form part of the development.

Ndifuna Ukwazi researcher Michael Clark said: “Sixty-six new social housing apartments is a start, but the province still has a long way to go.” He said they were encouraged that 66 social-housing apartments were made available to qualifying families, and hoped that this signalled a commitment to releasing, packaging and developing other parcels of land for social housing, including the Tafelberg and Founders’ Garden sites.

ANC provincial human settlements spokesperson Andile Lili said it had taken seven years to deliver just over 60 houses. He said the ANC was concerned that there is no provision for a public school on the Conradie site, that it was unacceptable that only private education will be provided, and that this would place an additional burden on those moving in.

“We call for an additional public primary and high school to be built close to this development to serve the residents of the Conradie and broader communities of Pinelands, Thornton, Maitland, Langa and surrounding areas.” He also called for an explanation as to why there has been no movement in other prime inner-city properties owned by the City and province for over the past 10 years.

Speaking during the handover, Premier Alan Winde said the development would play a pivotal role in addressing apartheid spatial-planning by providing social housing close to economic opportunities in Cape Town. “Because of its proximity to Cape Town’s CBD, it will allow commuters to travel quicker and easier. It will give children the opportunities to access schools and libraries nearby, and it will enable job-seekers to pursue the many opportunities on offer in our city.”

Human settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers said the reality was that there are many residents who require assistance from the state, but due to their household income being above the R3 500 threshold, they do not qualify for full state assistance. Human settlements Mayco member Malusi Booi said more needed to be done and faster. “A municipality on its own cannot solve the human settlements crisis in South Africa. We need greater partnerships and innovation to tackle this.”

Transport and public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell said he was pleased with the progress made so far, and that the development was “the beginning of many good things to come”.