The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mlungisi Mabaso, handed over 100 Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing units at Lufhereng Extension 5 to 1996 and 1997 Waiting List beneficiaries on Monday.
The handover comes a few days before Christmas, a day which often brings sorrow for the have-nots. MMC Mabaso, through his dedicated team of Housing officials and stakeholders, managed to hand over two-bedroomed houses to residents who have long waited for a place to call home.
The multi-billion-rand Lufhereng Housing Development aims to address the housing shortage in the City.
Five elderly beneficiaries individually got the ultimate festive season gift from MMC Mabaso, who handed the keys to their new decent and dignified houses, while the rest of the 95 was handed over by regional housing officials.
This housing project is part of the Lufhereng Integrated Housing Development, which is characterised by the provision and integration of various land uses and numerous housing opportunities for families with differing income levels offering an array of differing accommodation needs and tenure types.
MMC Mabaso acknowledges the housing backlog that the City of Joburg is currently faced with but urges communities to be patient as this is an ongoing process to address the imbalances of the past.
“We call on our residents to be patient as we embark on this journey to deliver quality homes in all our regions in the City of Joburg. It is, however, an exercise that will not happen overnight and hence we are reiterating for patience. Throughout the year, we have been building homes, handing over complete units, handing over title deeds and housing people into temporary shelter to address the issue of housing backlog.
“We will also be back here next year to hand over more homes as well as title deeds to these beneficiaries in Lufhereng, so that they fully enjoy all the rights and benefits of a home owner and the house will become an asset for them and their families in generations to come,” said MMC Mabaso.
One of the beneficiaries, 70 year-old Nontobeko Luthi, thanked the Department of Housing for finally giving her a home. “I am very happy to have finally received a house from the government after having waited for such a long time. I will finally now be able to enjoy Christmas with my children and grandchildren in a dignified home.
“We have seen the MMC on the ground in other parts of the City and we can see he is really trying his level best to handover units to beneficiaries. I thought this moment would never come for our Ward, but this dream has finally come into reality and I am now a homeowner,” said a delighted Luthi.
