Because Ekurhuleni’s population currently grows between 3 and 4%/annum, the area has become one of the largest informal settlements in the country.
In Ekurhuleni alone, there are 119 informal settlements, with 162,000 residents. This was revealed on Thursday at the Human Settlements Summit in Benoni.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Gungubele acknowledged that there is a huge housing backlog with approximately 240,000 residents living in backyards and those who are registered are still on the waiting list.
“In Ekurhuleni, over the past 10 years, we have allocated no more than 2,000 houses for people on the waiting list, while we have provided almost 97,000 residents living in informal settlements with access to housing opportunities.
“We have been unsuccessful in providing housing for families wanting to rent. In the past 20 years, our rental housing company has delivered only 998 rental opportunities,” Mayor Gungubele said.
“We have ambitious plans for improving our township economies through the revitalisation programme as well as the re-industrialisation of Ekurhuleni,” Mayor Gungubele explained.
Approximately 89,000 houses have been constructed in the municipality with 127,000 stands being serviced.
Community member Sipho Vanga said he was pleased that the municipality acknowledged that disaster, energy, water and sanitation were core service delivery issues. He urged the municipality to implement instead of talking.
