By: Gift Nyamapfene

The government’s multi-billion rand Cornubia human settlement plan is set to eradicate informal settlements in Durban, municipal officials confirmed.

Mayor James Nxumalo said that Phase 1A of the project, which has 482 units targeting those with a monthly income of less than R3 000, was nearly complete. Two hundred and fifty units had been allocated to people from various wards.

More than 200 of the remaining units were to be allocated to residents from one informal settlement within eThekwini. The informal settlement, which is yet to be announced, would then be demolished.

“The plan is to clear slums in the eThekwini Municipality, and for us to make an impact, we need to identify one informal settlement to occupy the remaining units and demolish that informal settlement completely,” said Nxumalo. The units consist of two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom.

According to a survey conducted by Dr. Sayed Mohamed in 2008 and edited in 2010, KwaZulu-Natal accounted for most homeless South Africans.

EThekwini head of human settlements and infrastructure, Nigel Gumede, said that the city’s priority was to resettle people who were currently in transit camps.

“We will ensure that the right people are allocated houses and monitor compliance. We want the new owners to treat these housing units as their homes, not as an informal settlement,” said Gumede.

Officials said houses would be closely monitored to discourage the challenges faced in RDP houses. “No one is allowed to sublet or sell the housing unit as it belongs to the government,” said Gumede.

The settlement for the multi-billion rand Cornubia project. Photo courtesy of iol.co.za

Cornubia is located between Mt Egdecombe and Umhlanga and disadvantaged areas north of Durban such as Kwamashu, Inanda and Ntuzuma

It is a mixed use, mixed income development project erected for industrial development and commercial housing. The initiative includes social and public establishments such as schools, clinics, police stations and post offices.