THE residents of Diepkloof, Freedom Park and Lehae picketed outside the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein, Joburg, for a housing project they feel has taken forever to be completed.
Southern Farm activist Thabang Makhele said as residents, they’d endured over seven years of unjustified delays
in the implementation of the Southern Farm housing project.
This was despite having consistently engaged with different administrations of the City of Joburg.
He said the people of Southern Farm had resisted and repelled opportunistic invasion of the land and shown resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’ve also noted with dismay that successive City of Joburg administration is failing to address the Southern Farm issue with urgency that it deserves. The residents declare that Southern Farm cannot wait any longer. Enough is enough and we demand that our needs be addressed before the end of June,” he said.
Thabang also told Daily Sun that the housing project must be declared an emergency project so that implementation starts immediately.
“The councillors and their political principals must desist from interfering in the processes of this project as this will further impede its implementation,” said resident, Nomasonto Makhanya.
The residents also told Daily Sun they wanted the municipality to finalise land availability, and Gauteng province to re-allocate funds and other resources for the project.
CEO of the Joburg Property Company, Helen Botes, accepted the memorandum. She said she understood the frustration of the residents and promised to give them feedback by the end of this month.
“We’ll personally come to residents and explain our progress,” said Botes.
