The Head of Department of Western Cape Human Settlements, Ms. Jacqui Samson, recently led her team of professionals and senior managers to Khayelitsha Training Centre to meet the housing beneficiaries of Taiwan in Site C, Khayelitsha.
The aim of the meeting was to provide an update and engage the existing and potential housing beneficiaries of the Taiwan and the greater Southern Corridor Housing Development Project. This development forms part of existing plans for the area and is not related to the recent fire and emergency response in Taiwan.
During 2019, the Department made a commitment to build housing units for the community of Taiwan.
Since then, significant progress has been made, including:
- Applying for a water-use license
- Counting and profiling the actual number of people who live in Taiwan
- Conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment
- Submitting the land-use application in order to proceed.
According to Ms. Jacqui Samson, all the relevant stakeholders have been kept informed throughout this project. “We have travelled the road with the Project Steering Committee as they are the representatives of the communities. As a caring Government, and to ensure nobody is left out when it comes to the progress of this development, we also met with the community that was affected by the recent fire in the area,” said Ms. Samson.
In this meeting, community members, who were represented by their Project Steering Committee, welcomed the progress report and had an opportunity to raise any queries or concerns regarding the project.
One of the concerns raised by the community was the illegal occupation of land that was earmarked for them and the relocation of people to Forest Village and temporary relocation areas. Ms. Samson reminded the community that they also have a role to play in preventing land invasions since ultimately, opportunities are taken away from the rightful beneficiaries. She assured the community that the Department is on track and construction of the units will start in October 2022.
Progress meetings will continue to be conducted going forward to ensure that the community is well-informed.
