Hope for residents of informal settlements

Residents of informal settlements across Johannesburg, South Africa's main city, can expect to see a major improvement in access to basic social services by 2007, an official told IRIN on Friday. The Johannesburg City Council also plans to be rid of shantytowns by that time. "We hope that by 2007 all informal settlements should have proper infrastructure. Existing settlements should have made way for serviced stands owned by people who have title deeds to their properties," Johannesburg city council spokesman Nthatisi Modingoane said. A report presented by the city's department of housing in 2003 estimated that there were 418,000 backyard shacks in Johannesburg, 4,500 people were living on the streets and 170,000 families were being accommodated in 89 informal settlements scattered across greater Johannesburg. However, it was likely that more informal settlements had sprung up across the city since last year, Modingoane pointed out. Johannesburg is seen as the economic hub of Africa and since 1994 has attracted an influx of jobseekers, often seeking shelter in informal settlements. "We now estimate that there are about 189 informal settlements in and around Johannesburg, but we have yet to determine just how many families occupy these areas," he said. The city council had undertaken steps to "formalise" the situation. "Each of informal settlements will first have to be declared as an official township. This means that families will be allocated individual stands, which then can be improved over time with the assistance of government housing subsidies," Modingoane explained. The government provides a housing subsidy to unemployed people and those who earn less than Rand 3,500 (US $530) per month. "The government intention is not to build low-cost housing in these areas, but to provide assistance to households who are intent on building or improving their homes with additional personal income," Modingoane added. The city council is undertaking a preliminary survey to determine the needs of the residents. "The current audit is to assess what the needs are and how best to address them. Some families lack access to basic services such as running water, sewage and rubbish removal. Residents use paraffin stoves and coal for cooking, and candles for light," Modingoane said. Johannesburg's authorities have routinely experienced complaints over housing shortages. In July violent protests erupted in Diepsloot settlement near the northern outskirts of the city after rumours spread that families were to be moved 45 km away to the town of Brits in the North West province. Some residents said they had been waiting since 2001 for the Johannesburg City Council to provide them with low-cost government housing, and also accused the local government of reneging on promises of housing subsidies. In response the authorities have pointed to an ambitious programme launched last year to eliminate the city's housing backlog by providing a total of 262,144 housing units by 2006.