ARP Director Focused on Problem Resolution
As the country observed Human Rights Day, honouring the liberation heroes and
the rights they fought for, the Director of the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP),
Dumisani Job Sithole, looked towards the future of Alexandra, its people and the
ARP.
The Future of the Alexandra Renewal Project
The ARP, one of the South African Government’s eight urban development nodes
and its flagship regeneration project, has already had its lifespan extended
from 2008 to 2010. Now, as its second deadline draws near, the appropriate
political bodies are debating four possible scenarios for the future of the
Project. But this is not delaying Sithole, he and his team are energetically
moving forward with project implementation, working in closer cooperation with
the City’s Region E.
“We are both active in the same area, so it is essential that the ARP and
Region E cooperate with each other for the optimal impact on Alexandra as a
whole”, said Sithole, explaining that it is necessary over time to integrate the
ARP back into the mainstream of local governance.
Normalisation of Old Alex
While the ARP has done much over the last 9 years to establish new housing
areas around Alexandra, the high densities and complex residential history of
Old Alex, has made high impact housing development in this area difficult to
implement. Under the guidance of Director Sithole, a new approach to the
normalisation of Old Alex is resulting in the development of a new Hostel
Precinct Plan.
The new plan involves the old M1 and Helen Joseph hostels, as well as the
informal settlements in their immediate vicinity. The Project’s professional
team is formulating a plan that will demolish the old apartheid eye-sores rather
than trying to upgrade them to inadequately meet current needs. The new plan
will involve the complete redevelopment of this Precinct from the ground up.
Once the new Hostel Precinct Plan has been fine-tuned, its principles will be
extrapolated by the end of 2010 into a Master Plan for Old Alex.
Township Proclamation
While planning moves forward, a legal conundrum for the proclamation of some
completed township developments is finally being resolved, and title deeds will
be distributed to homeowners soon.
Housing Development Continues
Housing has always been the ARP’s primary focus, and the need for additional
housing remains critical. The Project continues with a number of developments at
various stages of implementation:
- Extension 31 is
waiting for the City to finalise the tender process before the first ground can
be turned.
- In K206 approximately 1000
beneficiaries thus far have been allocated houses.
- Work continues on the
development of Extension 10.
Private Sector Involvement
In face of the constraints imposed by the global economic crisis on
government budgets, the ARP is engaging with the private sector to develop new
housing typologies for needs that the ARP cannot meet. They have called on the
banking and construction industries for proposals on the supply of suitable
housing options that would be affordable to the people of Alexandra.
“The needs of the community, particularly for housing, do not lessen because
times are tight. So we are looking for alternatives,” explained Sithole, “There
is a significant housing market in Alexandra willing to buy or rent if the
private sector will adapt to township needs and offer a range of appropriate
housing products.”
Demand for Rental Stock
With over 2000 names on a rental waiting list already, there is a serious
demand for rental units. New arrivals into Alex, who are paying up to R1000 a
month for use of shacks, would willingly rent formal units if they were
available. The ARP can assist in terms of land identification and acquisition,
but in the long-term the development and management of rental stock must be the
responsibility of the private sector.
Registrations, Allocations and Relocations
Housing allocation continues to be one of the most challenging and emotive
aspects of any new development in Alexandra. Over time the allocation process
has evolved, with Region E becoming more closely involved in certain aspects. In
a new housing development such as K206, the ARP continues to deal with new
homeowners, while Region E handles the rental stock, rental agreements and
occupant education on the responsibilities and rights of tenants.
People throughout Alex are still required to register on the housing waiting
lists. Once a specific area is marked for redevelopment, a strict block-by-block
registration process is undertaken on site.
At the same time as households are registered, it is essential that informal
businesses within that community be registered too. An integrated approach to
the relocation of micro-communities with their own crèches, spaza shops, etc.,
smoothes the transition to a new location, and provides an opportunity to
identify and formalize existing businesses within that community.
Rehabilitation of Marlboro
The ARP is working with the City’s Region E and the JMPD to continue the
rehabilitation of the Marlboro area. Already active law enforcement and
environmental management are improving the area, resulting in a number of
factories becoming operational again. It is a small but significant milestone.
In the scenarios under discussion for the further rehabilitation of Marlboro,
the current occupants of the ARP-built flats will probably be moved to Extension
10. The ARP Director envisages these flats at the centre of a new development
for Alex residents in Marlboro, probably under the management of the
Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO).
Local Economic Development Summit
During February 2010, the ARP hosted its second LED Summit, giving the
Community an opportunity to interact with the Project, the City and the Province
on matters affecting local economic development. One of the primary purposes of
the Summit was to propose an accelerated Local Economic Development Programme of
Action (PoA) that takes into account the economic circumstances in the area and
available resources for the programme execution. The Greater Alexandra
Development Forum and the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce also presented
their perspectives on the LED programme.
It was evident throughout the Summit proceedings that to change the investor
profile of Alexandra the collective efforts of both intergovernmental and
private sector bodies are needed to drive the successful implementation of the
LED Programme of Action. A more hardcore economic infrastructure is essential to
its long-term success.
Infrastructure Development on East Bank
The ARP is currently investigating the feasibility of a new retail
development on the East Bank. This would probably be a small neighbourhood
shopping complex, with two anchor stores, and possibly some office space for
local professionals.
In addition to this, plans are being drawn for a new satellite police station
on the East Bank, near Setswetla. The land has already been identified and
reserved for the South African Police Service.
Developments in the Iphuteng Educational Cluster
With the clearing of informal settlements from the Iphuteng Schools cluster,
it is now possible to work on re-integrating the Nokuthule Special School back
into Alex proper. A new school will be build within the Iphuteng Cluster that
will provide for the special needs of the Nokuthule learners, while at the same
time giving them use of the same school grounds and playing fields as pupils in
the other schools in the Cluster. This is to ensure that children with
impairments are fully accepted as an integral part of the Community, rather than
isolated from other children.
The need for private sector investment in the future of Alexandra and the
broader community is critical. Thus, discussions are underway with companies in
the private sector to establish a feeding scheme for learners within the
Iphuteng Cluster.
Evolution of the Alexandra Renewal Project
The Director of the ARP is constantly assessing the performance and
methodologies of the Project Team, striving to streamline processes to
keep the focus firmly on achieving Project goals. To this end he has highlighted
three aspects of project management:
- Support functions within
the Project offices need to be integrated back into formal administrative
structures, and for this reason, Human Resources for the Project has been
returned to the Council to manage.
- It is imperative that
managers coordinate planning and implementation within such a multi-faceted
project.
“I am encouraging all managers to go through the registration, allocation and
relocation processes, so that they fully understand the problems on the ground
and their impact on both the Community and the Project,” explained Sithole.
- To improve communication
and progress reporting to residents of Alexandra itself.
“Communicating with the broader society is easy using the formal media, but
we need more effective methods for informing members of the local Alex Community
who do not have access to that media.”
While the MMC and the Mayoral Committee consult with Provincial Housing and
National representatives on the future of the Alexandra Renewal Project, its
Director, Dumisani Job Sithole, is not wasting time. He continues to confront
the challenges facing Alexandra with optimism and a determination to find
solutions.
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