“Johannesburg Inner City is full of potential” – Johannesburg Mayor
City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Cllr Herman Mashaba said that about, 500 derelict buildings have the potential to provide quality low-cost housing opportunities for the many people who form the ‘missing middle’ of the housing market.
“Late last year, we began the process of releasing derelict city owned buildings for the purpose of developing quality low-cost housing for our residents. I am pleased to report to you that 12 properties have already been released and developers are coming forward with proposals that meet these expectations, while another 71 will be released soon,” said Mashaba.
The Mayor made a call for fellow Councillors as well as the community at large to imagine the transformation of Johannesburg’s Inner City when construction begins on these 83 buildings.
“We are also engaged with private property owners of derelict buildings, so that those buildings can also form part of our plan to turn the Inner City into a construction site. Home ownership is not just about putting a roof over one’s head, it is the affirmation of human dignity and the hope that government is working to steadily undo the injustices of the past,” added Mashaba.
The mayor also revealed that, the City’s current administration has delivered 5 145 title deeds to the residents of Johannesburg. Giving over 5200 of poorest residents the dignity of home ownership.
He made a startling comparison that, the previous City of Johannesburg administration did not deliver a single title deed in the 2012/13 financial year.
He acknowledged that, to date, the City has also constructed 1 089 new RDP homes, which represent new housing opportunities to be provided to Inner-City residents. A further 1 000 homes await only electrification to be complete.
