City of Tshwane launched a R405million- budget Townlands Village in Marabastad

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Townlands is 900-unit social housing project consisting of one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom units. The target market is the low-to-medium income earning group with household income between R2,500 and R7,500.

These are Tshwane residents who neither qualify for an RDP house nor have access to home loans. Townlands is a catalytic project in line with City of Tshwane Vision 2055. Rentals will range from R900 to R2,250 per month.

Townlands will contribute to redressing apartheid-bound experience of human settlements patterns. Tenants of Townlands will be brought closer to economic opportunities, places of employment, transport routes, shopping malls and sports facilities.

The area was made up of a culturally diverse community. It’s more like the District Six of Gauteng and during the Group Areas Act, forced removals saw people who were staying in the place, relocated to single race townships, away from the city centre.

In 1945, black residents were relocated to Atteridgeville, while in 1963 coloureds were relocated to Eersterust and Indians to Laudium in 1968.

Now it’s hoped the construction of the rental units will address injustices of the past.

“We are confident that the majority of those are people who never had any land value, asset value, people who never had decent housing and predominantly the majority of them will be black [people],” adds Ramokgopa.

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Housing Company Tshwane CEO Tshepo Phetla says, “We are looking at people who are earning between R2500 and R7000 who do not qualify for a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) home, who also do not qualify for a loan.”

Costs will be covered by the National and Gauteng Departments of Human Settlement, together with the City Tshwane.

The R400 million project is expected to be completed in two years.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”2558,2555,2556,2557″ img_size=”full” onclick=”img_link_large”][/vc_column][/vc_row]