The Maitland Mews social housing development will accommodate 204 beneficiaries.
The cold and wet weather could not take away the smiles from the faces of Merle Malan and Nonqaba Bikauri as they received the keys to their new homes today (11 May).
The handover by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis formed part of the Maitland Mews Social Housing Development on Voortrekker Road.
The ceremony was attended by, among others, national and provincial human settlement ministers, Mmamoloko Kubayi and Tertius Simmers, acting Mayco member for human settlements James Vos and representatives from Social Housing Institution, Madulammoho – a social housing company.
The development began in November 2021 and has delivered 204 social housing units.
It is meant to benefit those with a household income of between R1 850 to R22 000 per month as part of the City’s well-located social housing project in central Cape Town.
Maitland Mews tenants receive their keys (from left to right): Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, national human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, provincial minister Tertuis Simmers, and Acting Mayco member for human settlements James Vos.
The Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) recently estimated an average monthly rental of between R722 and R6 475 for these projects, depending on household income.
Funds for the project were made available through the Consolidated Capital Grant from the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), loan finance from the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), equity from Madulammoho and a discounted land price from the City.
Hill-Lewis says these units represent the completion of a quarter of the City’s 800 central Cape Town social housing units handed over to social housing companies for development.
The other projects are in Pine Road, Woodstock where 240 units are being built; Dillon Lane, where 150 units will be constructed and Salt River Market, where over 200 units will be built.
Hill-Lewis says this forms part of the City’s plan to have 6 500 social housing units across the city.
“The future of housing is about the enabling state, where government avails land and subsidies to let the private sector get on with the business of affordable housing delivery. My thanks go to the national and provincial governments for their help to access the necessary grant funding for this project and to our social housing partner, Madulammoho, who will be operating the development.”
Each unit comprises a bedroom, an open-plan kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom.
Malan (66) says she is thrilled.
“I am excited because this is an affordable project and will help all the pensioners. My rent will be just over R600 per month. I have some health problems and must have bypass surgery done. Now I am at least closer to Groote Schuur Hospital. It is very peaceful, quiet, and safe here. I am happy.”
Bikauri (49) says she feels overwhelmed.
“I cannot explain how I feel. I have been on the RDP housing database since 1999. I lived in Philippi before this and there was too much crime there. I was robbed many times.”
Kubayi says social housing remains critical because it breaks the apartheid spatial landscape.
“It means you can bring people closer to where they work and have access to social amenities. The prices are affordable, and we are driving this programme across the country. We are happy to see this project here.”Kubayi added:
“The majority of people in informal settlements do not qualify for BNG (Breaking New Grounds), so these are the people who would have an opportunity to live in these areas with the option to rent-to-own.”
Kubayi says plans to upgrade informal settlements are on the cards.
“We are targeting 1 500 informal settlements. Currently, about 1 268 are in different phases across the country. So, there is quite a lot of work across the country that we are doing with informal settlements. My appeal is for people to stop invading the land.”
Tenant Nonqaba Bikauri received the key to her new home today.
People’s PostKaylynne Bantom
Simmers says between March 2021 and May this year, 1626 qualifying social housing beneficiaries in the City received keys to their new homes.
“We know that some of you just want a more affordable rental option, and where we all work together. We can demonstrate to the rest of the country that there is hope. There is a government that can deliver on time, but it depends on partnerships.”
Renier Erasmus, Chief Executive Officer for Madulammoho, says: “Many tenants come from bad living conditions and must travel long distances to get to work. Now, they can simply walk to work, save money, and spend more time with their families. At Maitland Mews, we have 24-hour security with cleaning, maintenance, and management on site.”