The City has allocated more than R1,2 bn in total over the next three years for repairs and maintenance of its public housing rental stock. A part of the current focus is the R12,7 million public housing staircase upgrade project, which has passed the halfway mark. It comprises the replacement of 32 rental stock staircases which aims to improve the safety of tenants when accessing their rental homes. This is an ongoing programme, across financial years.
‘Incredible work is being done. I know the conditions on the ground are challenging but I thank our teams for their dedication and above all, our tenants for their cooperation. Some 32 existing staircases are being replaced with precast concrete and steel staircases as part of the upgrading project at our Community Residential Units (CRUs) across the metro central regions including Parkwood, Lotus River, Lavender Hill, Cafda Village and Ocean View. More than R7m has already been spent on replacing staircases as part of this project.
‘Internal public housing teams are also attending to repairs on staircases in other areas such as Manenberg ahead of the staircase replacement programme being rolled out further. Overall the City will spend more than R1,2 billion over the next three years on upgrades and maintenance to CRUs. We have also launched the No Cost Transfer programme where eligible tenants may receive a free title deed and ownership to their units, free of charge.
‘It would be remiss of me not to mention the scale of our public housing offering across the metro, which includes more than 45 000 units across the metro. This makes the City one of the biggest landlords in the country. We are utterly dependent on rental income to fix and maintain these units and as always, we encourage our tenants to pay their rentals so that we can fulfil our vision to create dignified accommodation for those most in need.
‘Today was an excellent opportunity for me to see these staircases being upgraded. The safety of our tenants is a priority and I am pleased to have seen the enhancement of our tenants’ lives via the upgrading of the staircases. I was able to work with the contractor and help, where possible, to install the steps. Importantly, I was able to engage with residents and listen to their questions and concerns. Again, I thank our residents who are temporarily inconvenienced while work is under way. We sincerely appreciate your patience.
‘Due to the large volume of service requests, it is our priority to attend to the most urgent repairs first so that we ensure the safety of our tenants when they access their homes. There are a few things that have the ability to transform lives in the way that dignified, secure housing can,’ said Alderman James Vos, the City’s Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements.
The majority of repair work required at our public housing units is unfortunately due to vandalism.
If tenants have any safety concerns regarding their units and staircases, they are encouraged to please contact the Human Settlements Directorate.
