 Two-year extension for Alex project
Due to the "huge demand for adequate shelter and prolonged land
acquisition process", the ambitious Alexandra Renewal Project has been
extended to 2010.
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THE time frame for the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP), a programme
to develop one of Johannesburg's oldest townships, has been extended
to 2010.
The project, launched by President Thabo Mbeki in February 2001, was
to be implemented over a period of seven years. The estimated budget
for the ARP at that time was R1.3-billion, an amount that was
projected to be provided by the City of Johannesburg, Gauteng province
and the private sector.
However, because of "huge demand for adequate shelter and prolonged
land acquisition processes", the project has been extended for another
two years, according to Nomvula Mokonyane, the province's housing MEC
who was speaking at the ARP's political steering committee meeting
attended by the City of Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo in
Alexandra on Wednesday, 9 April.
The purpose of the steering committee is to exercise political
oversight and decision-making in the implementation of the project.
At the meeting, Mokonyane and Masondo said the mandate of the ARP
involves dealing with historical urban decay and deprivation in terms
of infrastructure as well as human development in the township.
Established in 1912, Alexandra covers an area of over 800 hectares,
including Old Alexandra Proper, the East Bank, the Far East Bank,
Marlboro industrial area, Wynberg, Kew and Marlboro Gardens.
Since its inception, Alexandra has had a long and chequered history.
In 1948, under apartheid, the township became a "black spot" and
residents were threatened with complete removal. Freehold title was
abolished and some families were removed, leaving the majority as
tenants of the government.
During the 1980s, Alexandra was characterised by both conflict and
development. There were long school boycotts and clashes with the
apartheid government, but the period also saw Alex roads being tarred
for the first time, new houses built and nearly 50 new blocks of
flats.
Originally, the infrastructure in Alexandra was designed for a
population of about 70 000 people but due to a population boom as
people from within South Africa and neighbouring countries came to the
area seeking employment opportunities, the township is now home to an
estimated 350 000 to 400 000 people living in very crowded conditions.
After Mbeki's announcement in 2001, the first phase of the project
involved moving 11 000 residents from the banks of the Juskei River,
where they were in danger of flooding every year. The displaced
residents were moved to Braamfischerville in Soweto and Diepsloot,
north of Randburg.
On 3 and 4 December 2004, a summit was held in the township to report
back on and review the achievements of the ARP. The summit recorded
that some progress had been made accommodating Alex's homeless people.
Approximately 1 200 houses had been built since 2001 in Extension 8
and the Reconstruction Area, with more housing construction in
Marlboro Gardens, Westlake and Frankenwald projects yielding 5 300
rental housing units.
The project also recorded success in the construction and upgrading of
road infrastructure in Alex.
In 2006 with about 16 months before the seven-year period announced by
Mbeki elapsed, the incumbent ARP director, Julian Baskin, noted that
the project will need "a lifetime" to complete. He said the initial
costs of the project were not feasible and the total costs of
providing RDP houses to 22 000 families in need of accommodation in
Alexandra amounted to well over R1.9-billion. And this did not include
provision of roads, water, sanitation, schools, clinics, magistrates
offices and police stations.
Today, Alexandra is "one huge construction site", as Baskin put it,
with 27 active projects underway. Work to refurbish Alex's old M1 and
M2 hostels is almost complete and several schools have been built,
including Ekukhanyisweni Primary School. A business centre to
stimulate Alex's economy has been established and new shopping malls
are sprouting up including the R80-million Alex Plaza.
The meeting acknowledged the progress that the ARP has registered on
the ground and the many projects that are at an advanced stage.
Mokonyane and Masondo hailed the ARP as a success story, given the
inroads it has made in improving the local community's quality of
life.
On the issue of safety and security in the township, the meeting came
up with mechanisms to tackle crime. A resolution was made to build a
police station in the Far East Bank. It was also agreed that ward
councillors should play a critical role in running community awareness
programmes to guard against vandalism of public facilities.
In addition the meeting agreed that a Local Economic Development
Summit would be convened in the near future to develop strategies to
"unearth the economic potential" of Alexandra.
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