2010 Gauteng

The construction of the first phase of the R8-billion Lufhereng housing development, west of Soweto, is on track for February 2010. This includes the installation of electricity to every home.

The 1 800ha Lufhereng project will provide between 24 000 houses and 25 000 houses and will be developed in three phases over a period of seven to nine years. It will include fully subsidised housing for the poor, affordable housing for low-income households and middle- to high-income bonded housing stock for the general market.

The development will tackle the housing backlog in Soweto by targeting certain communities, as well as the 1996/7 housing waiting list. The scale of the project requires comprehensive involvement of all council departments and entities such as Johannesburg Water, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Pikitup and City Parks, to serve on other planning committees.

This housing development will be a 480ha agri - estate that will promote small to medium scale farming. The urban agricultural component will consist of open - field farming of high-value crops for the production of essential oils, with an equal number of fish breeding schemes.

Lufhereng agribusinesses will be implemented for emerging black economically empowered farmers, supported by training and mentoring and will managed and monitored through cooperative structures, in the four agri - estates.

There will also be a beneficiation park, retail outlets, research stations, and a skills development centre with upstream and downstream business opportunities creating up to 10 000 jobs. The agriculture plots will be leased initially and then converted to freehold once the sustainability of the particular farmer has been established.

The project will also include social, institutional, commercial, municipal and public open space. Provision has been made for over 15 primary and secondary schools, with the Gauteng Department of Education starting construction of the first school in the next six months.

There will be over 60 community facilities, including churches, crèches, clinics, parks, playgrounds, refuse sites, police stations, libraries, sporting facilities and commercial facilities.

The construction of the internal engineering services roads, storm water, sanitation and water reticulation, as well as the linking of these services for Lufhereng phase 1A and 1B have been underway. The water and sewage portion of the contract is almost complete and a portion of the roads and storm water services has been completed.

The transfer of the electrification rights for the entire Lufhereng development from Eskom, which has made available a temporary connection for about 1 100 housing units, has been approved by Eskom. Electrical contractors are being appointed for the installation of the electrical network for phase 1A and 1B.