Beitbridge targets 1 600 new stands to alleviate housing backlog

Source: Beitbridge targets 1 600 new stands to alleviate housing backlog – herald

Thupeyo Muleya

Beitbridge Bureau

BEITBRIDGE Municipality intends to service an additional 1 600 high-density residential stands as part of efforts to ease the town’s growing housing backlog.

Driven by increased economic activity and the town’s strategic location near the South African border, demand for housing in Beitbridge is rising.

More people are settling in the area due to its role as a key transit and trade hub for cross-border commerce.

Council figures show that 16 811 people have applied for high-density residential stands, while there are 6 148 applicants for medium-density stands.

In addition, there are 2 369 applications for low-density stands, 1 413 for commercial land and 726 for industrial stands.

Speaking at a full council meeting on Monday, Town Clerk Mr Loud Ramakgapola said a layout plan for the new residential stands had been submitted to central government for approval.

“Our new thrust is that we are not going to allocate unserviced land to the community,” he said.

“We need to make sure the place has water, sewer reticulation facilities and a road network. So, our plan is to have Public-Private Partnerships with serious land developers who have the capacity and resources to service the land. Our town is expanding and we can’t overlook the need to modernise and address issues related to accommodation challenges. We need to see more properties taking shape. Once our layout plan is approved, we will hit the ground running.”

To reduce servicing costs, the municipality is in the process of acquiring earth-moving equipment, including graders.

Currently, equipment is being outsourced, a situation Mr Ramakgapola described as financially unsustainable for the already cash-strapped local authority.

Mr Ramakgapola said it was critical to have running water, sewer and roads in new suburbs.

“We have built a new primary school (in Khwalu 2 suburb) and we need to connect it to water before it is opened to the public,” he said.

“At the same time, we are building a new clinic near White Lodge which should be connected to water and sewer facilities.

“We are hoping that our layout plan will be approved soon to guide us in modern ways of carrying out property development.”

The Town Clerk also addressed ongoing concerns from residents over delays in servicing stands that were previously sold.

Over the past seven years, more than 3 000 residential stands were sold by private land developers, yet many remain without water, sewerage or road access.

“We have been engaging the land developers to track progress on the ground, some of whom have contracts that have expired and they have asked for extensions to carry out outstanding works,” said Mr Ramakgapola.

He added that work is currently underway to construct a main water and sewer trunk line to service the western suburbs. In the meantime, residents in unserviced areas rely on boreholes or septic tanks.

Those without the means must buy water from bowsers, with treated water selling for R5 to R7 per bucket, while borehole water costs about R3.

Raw water, mostly drawn from the Limpopo River and local boreholes, costs around R100 per 100 litres.

Mr Ramakgapola urged holders of prime land in the central business district (CBD) to expedite development. There are about 40 undeveloped commercial stands in the CBD.