 Alex renewal needs a lifetime
Commenting on the progress and pitfalls of the Alexandra Renewal
Project, director of the project, Julian Baskin sees it as a long-term
task.
REBUILDING Alexandra is a lifetime project that needs to be done
systematically and over time, said the director of the Alexandra
Renewal Project (ARP), Julian Baskin, explaining the long-term of the
project launched to upgrade Joburg's impoverished township in 2001.
A joint initiative between the City of Johannesburg, the provincial
and national government, the private sector, non-governmental
organisations and community-based organisations, the ARP was launched
as a presidential project to be implemented over a seven-year period.
It aimed to radically change the physical, social and economic
environment of Alexandra.
Baskin points out that many of the estimates, including funding,
originally set for the project are not feasible. Original estimates
put the ARP budget at R1.3-billion. "A simple RDP (reconstruction for
development programme) house costs more than R90 000 and there are
over 22 000 households in need of decent accommodation. Calculations
will tell you the total cost of building RDP houses amounts to well
over R1.9 billion and the project is not only about providing housing,
but is holistic and multi-disciplinary."
Now, with 16 months to go before the project is due to end, the main
challenge is "the speed at which projects are implemented and
completed".
"A total overhaul of Alexandra will not take seven to 10 years.
Alexandra is a long journey; a lifetime project of the City - and the
ARP can only do what is possible within the stipulated seven years,"
explains Baskin.
Housing
The main challenge facing the ARP is housing the thousands of
people living in squalor and in backyard shacks.
Baskin says the ARP had to redefine its operations and plans at
some point to speed up the reconstruction process and provide
affordable housing for residents.
"Alexandra is now home to about 400 000 people living in very crowded
conditions. There are about 770 people per hectare and the most
rational thing to do when the project was launched was to de-densify
the township."
About 7 000 families were moved from the Jukskei River banks and
settled in Diepsloot and Braamfisherville in Soweto. This exercise was
met with resistance and some of the removed residents came back.
"The original plan to move all Alex residents and turn the township
into a middle-class area was shelved. The only option left was to
build social housing to accommodate thousands of people in desperate
need of decent houses and relocate some of them to social housing
schemes in the vicinity of Alexandra."
So far, 3 000 houses have been built for relocation purposes and three
rental housing projects have been initiated in Marlboro Gardens,
Westlake and Frankenwald. The design, costing and project feasibility
phase of the Transfer of Housing and upgrading of existing houses and
backyard shacks in Old Alexandra projects is complete and currently, 5
438 residential stands are being transferred from City of Johannesburg
to qualifying households.
"There are plans in the pipeline to build RDP flats in a couple of
months time. However, people must note that the ARP is not a housing
project but involves a whole lot of efforts to improve infrastructure
in the township," says Baskin.
Recreation facilities
He says Alex is one huge construction site with 27 active projects
under way, one of which is the refurbishment of the Alexandra Stadium.
"We are doing a block-by-block approach to tackling ills facing the
township. Construction work is taking place at the Alexandra Stadium
to bring it to international standards and there are plans to house
one of the 2010 Fifa World Cup teams in Alexandra if all goes well."
The KwaBhekilanga athletic/rugby facility and the Altrek sports
facility upgrading are almost complete. The two facilities will be
fully functional soon, according to Baskin.
Not so long ago, Ekukhanyisweni Primary School consisted of rickety
asbestos structures where pupils conducted their lessons, but today, a
safe, modern school with a multi-purpose netball, volleyball and
basketball court has been built in its place. Renovations have been
made to 17 schools thus far.
At the M2 Hostel, people have already moved into newly built flats
and the old hostel is being renovated, complete with a theatre for
social use. The theatre is set to be open in six months' time, says
Baskin.
A business centre to "stimulate" Alex's economy has been
established. It will offer aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs courses
on basic life skills, starting a business, financial management and
running and growing a business. Plans have been finalised for three
economic nodes, namely Wynberg, Kew and Pan Africa.
"Most of the active projects would be complete by now, but it's the
contractual procedures that cause a lot of delays. We use several
small contractors - mostly from Alex - because one wouldn't be able to
handle one project on its own and this makes it harder for us to
assess and monitor their work."
The Alexandra Development Forum (ADF), an organisation that looks
after the interests of all parties involved in upgrading Alexandra,
says residents need houses urgently.
"Even though much has been done in building roads, schools, bridges
and other infrastructure in Alex, this is secondary to residents.
Progress has been very slow in terms of providing decent accommodation
for Alex residents and time is running out because the ARP will be
over in a few months' time," says ADF secretary, Linda Memela.
To this end, the ADF has requested a meeting with the Gauteng MEC for
housing, Nomvula Mokonyane. The meeting is meant to speed up the
process of the provision of houses to Alex residents, says Memela.
Baskin says the ARP and the ADF have a common strategy to see the
people of Alex getting decent accommodation. He agrees that time is
against the project, but the ARP is doing all it can to provide decent
living conditions for Alex residents.
"We as the ARP may be satisfied with all the work we have done so far,
but it may not be appreciated by someone who is still living in a
shack," he says.
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