A multi floor Eskom building to be converted into affordable student and social housing accommodation in Braamfontein, Johannesburg soon. Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced this during her visitation on the building which was used as Eskom regional office on Monday.
The building has been acquired by the Housing Development Agency (The HDA) and is earmarked for development of social and student housing. The agency has been tasked to consider state owned enterprises (SOEs) non-core assets for human settlements development.
According to her increasing the number of student residences will alleviate pressure on many institutions of higher learning as enrolment continues to soar. She said that the building is also expected to respond to the demand of decent and affordable accommodation in the inner city.
“We intend to turn Braamfontein into a hub through the provisioning of social housing and student accommodation, said Sisulu.
State owned enterprises such as Eskom, Transnet, Prasa and other national SOEs embarked on a process to reduce inefficiencies associated with fixed property holdings. This is anticipated to be done through the disposal of surplus assets, some of which are useful for human settlements development.
The SOEs are required to offer Human Settlements first right of refusal before such assets are offered to the open market. Located at 204 Smit Street, Braamfontein precinct, City of Johannesburg, the building is ideally located for inner city student and social housing.
According to Sisulu the envisaged development is in line with Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) which advocates for inclusive cities where households can live, work and play.
