Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille

Design-led thinking and upgrades improve lives of Flamingo Crescent residents

Note to editors: this is an extract from the address delivered by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at the launch of the re-blocking project in Flamingo Crescent earlier today.

Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Benedicta Van Minnen,

City councillors and officials,

Our partners, the South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance,

The Informal Settlement Network,

The Community Organisation Resource Centre, iKhayalami,

Habitat for Humanity South Africa,

The Centre for Early Childhood Development,

The steering committee and community of Flamingo Crescent,

All other partners,

It gives me great pleasure to be here today and to welcome you to the launch of the re-blocking project in Flamingo Crescent.

This community has come a long way with the City of , and while the journey was not always easy, today we celebrate the success of our partnership.

In 2012, the City piloted the re-blocking project with the aim of improving the living conditions of people in informal settlements while they wait for housing.

Re-blocking is a community-based process whereby housing structures are reorganised or clustered in a way that facilitates access by emergency and other vehicles, creating safe spaces between structures, improving service delivery, and fostering a sense of increased community cohesion.

It is an initiative that uses design-led thinking to upgrade living conditions and improve safety in informal settlements.

There are currently more than 200 informal settlement areas in the , varying in size and density.

The organic structure of informal settlements often makes it difficult to provide municipal utility services such as water, sanitation, electricity and waste removal in line with national guidelines.

The high density of informal settlements and the use of flammable building materials also places them at greater risk of rapidly spreading fires. This is exacerbated by the difficulties that fire and emergency vehicles experience when trying to access these areas.

Communities where re-blocking projects have been completed have therefore experienced significant changes in their everyday lives as a result of improved provision of services, access roads, and better built structures and facilities.

One of the most critical aspects of the re-blocking process is the partnerships that have enabled these projects to be a success.

Once a re-blocking plan is agreed on by the community, the City, and its partners, data is collected from residents. The re-blocked layout of the area is then planned and mapped.

Community buy-in is absolutely crucial as we need to find out from communities what their needs and challenges are before the project can go ahead.

In Flamingo Crescent, the City and its partners the South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance, the Informal Settlement Network, the Community Organisation Resource Centre, iKhayalami, Habitat for Humanity South Africa, the Centre for Early Childhood Development and others, as well as residents, have invested over R2,6 million in the re-blocking project to improve living conditions for the 102 households.

The community started saving in 2012 and has contributed 20% to each re- blocked and upgraded structure.

Before the re-blocking commenced, the community shared 14 chemical toilets and two taps and had no access to electricity.

Structures consisted of a patchwork of old wood, cardboard, plastic and aluminum pieces – materials that posed a continuous fire hazard in summer, while flooding and drainage problems consistently challenged residents during winter.

Since the completion of the re-blocking process, there have been no reports of fires or flooding in Flamingo Crescent. It is no longer an overcrowded, inaccessible and unsafe place.

Flamingo Crescent now has upgraded structures, paved roads and a 1:1 ratio of water, sanitation (flush toilets) and electricity services.

The City funded the installation of these basic services, as well as refuse collection services and roadworks, at a cost of over R2 million.

The Centre for Early Childhood Development donated funds to build a crèche. The community drew up plans for the crèche with the support of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute from the United States.

One of the most noteworthy success stories of this project is the fact that, when it first started, 90% of the community was unemployed. However, with the help of partners, residents started recycling, created small tuck shops, and found various forms of employment in order to contribute to improving the area.

As an opportunity city, we were also able to employ 20 members of the community during the construction phase through the City’s Expanded Public Works Programme.

Work on this project moved at an impressive pace as civil works started less than a year ago in April 2014 and by August, 75 of the 102 structures had already been rebuilt.

Final touches are now being made to the Early Childhood Development Centre, to be called the Little Paradise Educare Centre.

This and other re-blocking projects are examples of the City’s commitment to redress through improved service delivery.

So far we have completed successful re-blocking projects in Mtshini Wam (Milnerton) and Kuku Town in Kensington.

These projects succeeded because the community took ownership and shared the responsibility with the City and its partners.

I am pleased to know that the community of Flamingo Crescent has done the same, and I would like to thank you, and our partners, for your contribution in making this a success. By working together, we can make progress possible.

I ask that you take care of your surroundings and work with the City to ensure that the facilities and services are maintained.

Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.