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Thubalethu housing in northern KZN
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelani has expressed dissatisfaction with the choice of land for the Thubalethu informal settlement upgrade project on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.
The land which is hilly is in Melmoth.
Over 200 out of 500 houses have been built under the project which started in 2012 but there is no provision for water.
Simelani visited the province to check on progress made to finalise stalled projects.
Simelani says given the space, one would like to do things differently, similarly, plan differently.
However, Simelani maintains that the current task at hand is to complete all blocked projects.
“Where there is a human settlement, then there is no sewer, there is no water, there is no proper road, there is no proper plan. So that ultimately, we can give these people title deeds. So, I would want to hand over a title deed to someone who can get out into a road, there’s water, there’s a full acknowledgement that I’m residing here and I’m happy. That this is a settlement,” says Simelani.
Video | Minister Simelani inspects Thubalethu housing project in KZN
Moreover, Human Settlements MEC, Siboniso Duma says R80 million has been set aside for sinking a borehole and providing other infrastructure to supply water for the Thubalethu project.
Duma says the borehole process has started.
“As we have already highlighted, the bulk will also depend on the complexion of the Phobane Dam. So, we are still consolidating of a strategy. We are going to build a storage dam as we extract water. That raw water, if you can just measure that water, you might find its not drinkable. So, if it is not usable, it has to be purified first. All those processes will be undergone, it will be done, and we are monitoring that process, consolidating,” says Duma.
Related video | Housing project in Melmoth plagued by delays
