Staff Reporter
At least 7 500 houses have been earmarked for development in the Caleb Motshabi informal settlement as part of efforts to improve the living conditions of people in the area.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Stater Tuesday after distributing 10 Jojo tanks — received from Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) — to different communities, Mangaung Metro executive mayor Olly Mlamleli said the city is working hard to ensure people have access to basic infrastructure, starting with water and sanitation.
“There are 7 500 houses to be built in Caleb Motshabi, one of the biggest informal settlements in Mangaung,” said Mlamleli in a telephone interview.
The development is expected to follow a housing model used in Spain and Venezuela which uses the latest technology to build houses.
“At the moment we are busy laying out the infrastructure before the actual houses are built,” she said.
“They are starting with 500 houses, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to stop.”
The mayor said all households in the area were being given letters confirming their ownership of the housing stands before the actual building of the houses starts.
“We are not going to build houses for them if they don’t own the site they occupy,” she pointed out.
Mlamleli said there also are plans to build 15km of road in the area, most of which some will be surfaced.
People that have settled in areas not fit for human settlement will also be moved to make way for the anticipated developments.
“There are people in Caleb Motshabi who are sitting on a very dangerous Bloemwater pipeline. If that pipe would burst, especially at night, people could be killed,” she said.
“The second group are people that have informally settled on a hard rock. People cannot settle on a hard rock because it’s impossible to put infrastructure in such places. It’s impossible to do excavation for sewer lines, water pipes and so forth.”
The mayor said the land for the relocation of the people has already been purchased and the they will be moved as soon as the Deeds Office finalises the allocation of site numbers.
She would however not mention the earmarked place, saying some ‘clever’ people might illegally occupy the land.
Mlamleli said the water tanks, with a capacity of 5 000 litres each which she received last week, are meant to complement initiatives by the national Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“In the informal settlements, you know that there is no adequate infrastructure. And if there is no adequate infrastructure, then it means there is no adequate water as well as sanitation,” she said.
“To win the battle against COVID-19, people must live under good hygienic conditions and this is only possible when clean water is available.”
Three of the Jojo tanks were taken to Caleb Motshabi while two went to Meripeng, an adjacent informal settlement.
Van Stadensrus, Wepener, Dewetsdorp, Soutpan and the community service centre in Bainsvlei each received one water tank.
CCBSA manufacturing manager Andre Breytenbach who handed over the water tanks valued at about R50 000 said reliable access to clean water is essential for the health of communities.
“. . . our way of doing business has always been rooted in the spirit of advancing public-private partnerships and collaboration for the greater good. We believe in working together with government and the communities in which we operate in for the growth and development of CCBSA and the people of Mangaung,” said Breytenbach.
CCBSA also partnered with the Imbuba Foundation to donate about 5 000 litres of hand soap to the Free State Department of Education worth over R130 000.
This will be distributed to 90 disadvantaged schools in the province.
Washing hands with soap regularly is one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of the deadly virus.
