The City of Cape Town, in keeping with its commitment to being an Opportunity and an Inclusive City, is pleased to announce that the Philippi East housing project is in its final stages of development. The City will hand over new homes to 432 identified beneficiaries of the Philippi East housing project prior to the Easter Weekend.
The project was initiated in 2003 and experienced several obstacles which hampered the completion of the development and the handing over of houses to beneficiaries.
The City faced a number of challenges, which included the facilitation of the community’s involvement and illegal operations being conducted on the site allocated for development.
These challenges were addressed when the City engaged with the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to acquire additional vacant land adjacent to the site. This land would accommodate all beneficiaries from this area who had requested a house from the City.
In March 2013, while the contractor was in the process of completing the remaining additional units allocated to the project, a group of people illegally entered the site and started occupying and vandalising the newly built houses.
Thanks to the quick response by the City’s law enforcement units, the group was removed and the vandalised units repaired in time to be handed over prior to the Easter Weekend.
Despite the hurdles faced during this housing project, the City is pleased to announce that some of the critical housing needs in Philippi East have been addressed by the provision of new homes to 432 deserving beneficiaries.
“I would like to thank all of those officials and contractors who worked long and hard to make this project a reality. Even in the face of enormous odds, a resolution was found. The City will continue to use all its resources to provide human settlements to as many people as possible throughout the city,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Tandeka Gqada.
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