Gauteng to spend R60 billion on infrastructure – Premier

Johannesburg – During his State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Ga-Rankuwa, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the provincial government will spend R60 billion on building and maintaining infrastructure in the next five years.

  The premier said that would create about 100 000 jobs and facilitate development of 50 black industrialists.

  “By 2025 the Gauteng city region will have three special economic zones in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Sedibeng, along with an agro-processing zone on the West Rand,” Makhura said.

  He added that government would provide 10 000 stands to qualifying Gauteng residents who wanted and were able to build their own houses; across the province between April and June this year. He however, said they would not point out in which parts of the province these serviced stands would be released.

  “We will be working with national and local spheres of government to finalise incomplete human settlements projects, including the Urban Renewal Projects in Alexandra, Evaton, Kliptown, Bekkersdal and Winterveldt. This work is led by the MEC for Human Settlements, Urban Planning and Cogta,” he said.

  He also said they are working with the National Housing Finance Corporation, Indlu and Umastandi Social Capital Entrepreneurs, to enable township property owners to develop formal backrooms from which sustainable incomes could be generated.

  “This will provide additional 250 000 people with affordable rental and decent accommodation in the next five to 10 years,” he said.