Innovative ways sought to house Alex residents
Township that was built for 60 000 people is now home to 350 000.
Township that was built for 60 000 people is now home to 350 000 By Anna Cox
Alexandra, which houses 13% of Joburg's population, is bursting at the seams,
and is now set to spread into neighbouring Linbro Park and Marlboro Gardens.
Some 37 000 housing units are under construction or will be built in the next
two years.
With a population of 350 000 living in a cramped area, it is inevitable that
alternative land has to be found to house the people and to look at
densification housing projects.
So says Julian Baskin, project leader of the Alexandra Renewal Programme
(ARP).
There have been massive improvements in the area since the launch of the ARP,
which has been extended to 2010 to accommodate further projects.
So far R1,4-billion has been spent on 96 projects. This excludes the housing
subsidies.
The ARP, which is being financed by national, provincial and local
government, is not just about housing, says Baskin, but covers social, sporting,
educational and heritage aspects as well.
Since the start of the ARP, a presidential project launched in 2002, crime is
down by 40%. Baskin attributes this to the new Alex police station.
"Alex was an area developed during the apartheid era to cater for 60 000.
Over the years, the population has grown and the infrastructure could not cope,
and it started sliding into decline. There are 770 people per hectare in Alex as
opposed to four per hectare in neighbouring Linbro Park," says Baskin.
He says there are many exciting and innovative developments happening in
Alex.
The area is set to get its first major shopping centre at Pan Africa, just
off Louis Botha Avenue, which should be completed by September this year.
The Pan African Triangle, on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Watt Street, is one
of Alexandra's busiest areas. It is the gateway to Alex from Louis Botha Avenue,
central Joburg, nearby Sandton and the industrial area of Wynberg. The Pan
Africa Taxi and Retail Development includes the construction of a 50 000sq m
taxi rank, including 960 parking bays, a three-level holding facility for taxis,
a 16 000sq m shopping centre and space for hawkers. It will also have a gym, and
places where taxi drivers can get their vehicles repaired.
Another regional shopping complex is on the cards, which will be built on the
London Road offramp.
Baskin says the ARP has also led to a return of investment to the Wynberg and
Kew areas, where central improvement districts are being set up.
"With our clean-up of Alex, and with the shortage of electricity
infrastructure in some areas, people are realising the value of these areas
which already have the appropriate electrical infrastructure," he notes.
The ARP has come up with some innovative housing projects in an attempt to
densify.
One project, aimed at getting people out of shacks, is Far East Bank
Extension 7.
It offers single rooms with shared facilities. "These are our replacement of
shacks. People will pay R350 a month, which is about what they are paying in
shacks. People renting space in abandoned factories in Marlboro are paying up to
R600 a month," Baskin points out.
Another innovation is an RDP project at River Park, which consists of
double-storey homes with two single adjoining rooms, from which the owners can
get rental. People living in Setswetla, the largest squatter camp in Joburg,
will be moved there.
The first RDP flats in the country have been constructed in Marlboro.
Baskin explains that a traditional RDP house is on 250sq m of land. "With RDP
flats we can get eight flats into the same space."
Here are more projects that are taking shape
Training and skills
Other initiatives are the establishment of a labour centre; a construction
cluster to train people in construction skills; an automotive services centre to
train people in motor mechanics and life skills; a retail sector to train people
in baking, catering, sewing, welding and carpentry; and a local business support
centre to assist with business advice.
Industrial and retail spaces have been identified for stalls and small
tourism and craft markets.
Environment
The Jukskei River has been rehabilitated and has a new stormwater plan.
Several new parks have been opened and upgraded.
Infrastructure
A new master electricity plan will see 77 000 homes connected.
In 1990 there were no tarred roads - today every road is tarred. One third of
23 000 streetlights have been installed.
Public ablutions and sewer lines are being upgraded.
Sidewalks are being repaired. Two pedestrian bridges have been built.
Social
An innovation is the construction of community cluster homes for the elderly.
Bombani Safe House for abused women, as well as Nokuthula Special School for
abused women and children, have been upgraded.
Education
Schools are being upgraded. The Old Gordon School was demolished, and that
land will be incorporated into Alex High.
The new Gordon Primary is under construction. There are also plans to build
another primary school and one more high school in Alex.
"The ARP's commitment to education is not restricted to infrastructure. A
total of 77 local educators have undergone a one-year training and mentoring
programme under the auspices of the ARP," says Baskin.
Sport
A youth village, which will be used for Football for Hope, a Fifa World Cup
2010 parallel competition involving 35 countries, will be held and a youth
village will be constructed for the event. On completion, this youth precinct
will have a full-scale football pitch with a mini pitch, four Kombi courts
(basketball, netball and volleyball), two tennis courts and an international
standard skateboard park.
Alex is also to get its first rugby and athletics stadium, as well as a rugby
pavilion. Two mixed sports facilities will offer soccer fields, a cricket oval,
Kombi courts, a traffic training centre, an international skate park and a BMX
track.
Culture
The Heritage Interpretation Centre is under construction with the
simultaneous upgrade of the Mandela Yard precinct.
A community theatre will be built at the M2 Hostel.
Tourism
Tourism is starting to take off in Alex. Already, there are five B&Bs with a
further five being graded. There are 32 trained tour guides and four tourism
routes.
Health
Edenvale Hospital is being upgraded to deal with the increased use by Alex
residents.
Housing
- In Linbro Park, several agricultural stands have been identified
and there will be 26 000 mixed housing units, with about 83 000
people expected to move into the area.
- River Park will be a residential estate consisting of 500 single
rooms with ablution facilities.
- M2 Hostel redevelopment: This has been converted into 96 family
units.
- Far East Bank Extension 7 houses: This has 520 completed rental
units which are targeted at single people currently living in shacks
in Alexandra.
Each occupant lives in a 14sq m rental unit and shares a communal
bathroom and wash-up area. Community facilities include a creche and
playground. The rooms will be rented at R350 a month.
What is unique about this complex is that solar water geysers sit on
top of each block, providing hot water to the communal bathrooms.
- Far East Bank Extension 9 and 10: This is a double-storey
cluster development consisting of six primary units, each with two
upstairs bedrooms, and downstairs living and kitchen area, with a
bathroom. A unique feature of this housing is that each unit has two
attached rooms with outside ablution facilities that the homeowner
can rent out. This development will consist of 220
clusters, with 1 291 housing units with 2 156 attached rooms.
- The K206 is the largest housing project in Alexandra to date.
This strip of land on the Far East Bank Extension 9 of Alexandra was
originally intended for road usage and has now been rezoned for
residential development. The intention now is to house as many of
the families living in the Setswetla informal settlement along the
banks of the Jukskei River as possible.
The K206 housing project consists of 1 760 plots. There will be a
free-standing, double-storey RDP house on each plot as the primary
unit. In addition, 1 078 of those plots will also have secondary
structures consisting of two rooms with shared facilities. This will
provide 2 156 affordable rental opportunities within the
development.
- Rand Merchant Bank is financing 1 000 mixed-income units in
Marlboro, including 250 giveaways.
Facts about Alex
- A total of 30% of residents are single-person households, and
52% don't consider Alex to be their home.
- Only 7% earn more than R5 000 a month and 20% live on less than
R1 000 a month.
- The average household income is R2 448 a month, below the
national and the Gauteng average, but marginally above the national
average for black households.
- A total of 46% of adults have a home elsewhere.
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