THE construction of 990 subsidy (RDP) houses at Stofwolk in Hankey has taken a major multimillion rand step forward – after first being approved in 2009.
This after funding to the amount of R40.5 million for the installation of civil services infrastructure at the site of the development was approved by the provincial Department of Human Settlements (DoHS) on Monday, May 10.
Services include sanitation, water, roads, and stormwater.
It is estimated that the project will take 12 months to be completed, with the contractor to be appointed on July 20, 2021, while the completion date is set for July 31, 2022.
“Due to the entrenched system of good governance in Kouga, the installation of services has been approved for the Hankey 990 project,” said Kouga Executive Mayor, Horatio Hendricks.
“The project is one of five housing projects planned for the region, joining Kruisfontein (391 units completed in December 2019) and Pellsrus (220 units completed in December 2020).”
Hendricks said the municipality was pleased to be part of a project that would change people’s lives.
“The people of Kouga, and those of Hankey in particular, have been waiting for a very long time to be provided with decent housing.
“It is quite momentous to be part of the occasion where we start the realisation of those dreams,” he said.
Several job opportunities are expected to be created during the project.
Future projects include the construction of 200 RDP houses in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay, for the elderly and disabled – marking the first phase of the project.
Construction is set to start sometime in the 2021/ 2022 financial year.
“The project forms part of the Ocean View 1 500 housing project, of which the internal services have already been completed at a cost of close to R 50 million,” explained Hendricks.
“It is one of ten projects approved by the DoHS for Kouga in 2009, and which were delayed due to insufficient bulk infrastructure.”
Also on the housing map is the long–awaited construction of 139 RDP houses in Arcadia in Humansdorp.
According to Hendricks, the engineering designs for the project must still be completed and sent to the Department of Human Settlements for final approval – after which funding will be approved.
Other housing projects include Weston (196 units) and Patensie (278 units).
