OKHAHLAMBA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY OKHAHLAMBA HOUSING PLAN 2 1.TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 2. BACKGROUND 3 2.1. Local Context 3 2.1.1 Spatial 3 2.1.2.Demographic Context 3 2.1.3.Economic Issues 4 2.1.4.Social Context 4 3. CURRENT HOUSING DEMAND 5 4. LAND IDENTIFICATION 7 5. OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 8 6. CHALLENGES 9 7. CURRENT HOUSING SITUATION 9 7.1. Current Housing Projects 9 7.2. Planned Projects 10 8. INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SECTORS 11 9. HOUSING INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 11 10. SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 12 11. CONCLUSION 13 12. ANNEXURES ANNEXURE A 3 2. BACKGROUND. 2.1. LOCAL CONTEXT 2.1.1 SPATIAL The Okhahlamba Local Municipality is one of the five Local Municipalities under Uthukela District. It was established in December 2000. Okhahlamba Municipality is the amalgamation of the three former TLC’s i.e. Bergville, Cathkin Park and Winterton. The main offices of the Municipality are in Bergville. Our Municipality is in the boarders of the following areas, Lesotho on the Drakensburg part (Southern side), Free State Province (Western side), Emnambithi Municipality (Northern side), and Imbabazane Municipality on the Eastern side. The Okhahlamba Local Municipality is made up of privately owned commercial farmland and small holder free settlements, the urban areas of Bergville, Cathkin Park, Winterton and the three tribal authorities of Amazizi tribe, Amangwane tribe and Amaswazi tribe. The preparation of a Land Use Management Plan for the Okhahlamba Municipality includes all hubs, satellites and sub satellites. The implementation of the Land Use Management System for the Municipality will ensure the involvement of Amakhosi and all other relevant stakeholders. In this regard, the implementation of an administrative procedure for handling land use changes and development control, Provincial and National Planning and environmental legislation will also be taken into account. Appropriate areas will be considered for the location of rural services centres. The identification of economic linkages between corridors to promote economic integration and development will also be considered. 2.1.2 DEMOGRAPHIC CONTEXT According to Statistics SA (Census 2001), the estimated population of the Okhahlamba Municipality is 137 525. This population comprises of urban, rural tribal areas, freehold settlements and farmlands. Africans constitute the majority of the population with 97%. 4 POPULATION STATISTICS: OKHAHLAMBA MUNICIPALITY African Coloured Indian White Total Population +/- 134 227 156 260 2882 137 525 2.1.3 ECONOMIC ISSUES The Municipality has two main economic sectors i.e. Agriculture and Tourism. In terms of employment, Agriculture is the area’s biggest employer. Commercial Agriculture occupies 70% of the Municipal land area and this land is being farmed fairly intensively for grain, vegetables and pastures for dairy and semi-intensive mutton and beef production. Although in Tourism, some of the Drakensberg resorts fall outside the jurisdiction of the OLM, their associated attraction are integral to the District Municipality and Local Municipality, and provide good potential for employment and economic growth. 2.1.4. SOCIAL CONTEXT The majority of people in the Municipality are unemployed i.e. about 67% are unemployed. Avery high proportion of women are unemployed, as a results a number of activities have been initiated in the area to help women earn some sort of income, including sewing groups, crafts, gardening, savings clubs and the use of women contractors by Rand for Water. Another social challenge that the municipality is facing, is the high impact of HIV/AIDS. Most of the areas within the Municipality have Primary and Secondary schools, although some of them do not have schools especially in deep rural areas where children have to walk more than eight kilometers. There is no tertiary institution existing within the Okhahlamba Municipality. People, therefore, have to attend tertiary education in other areas. There is only one Hospital at Emmaus (Emmaus Hospital) and five clinics i.e. Bergville, Dukuza, Oliviershoek, Amazizi and Ebusingatha in the 5 Municipality. However, mobile clinics do go out to other outlying areas once a week where there is no service being rendered to. Most of the areas within the municipality have Community Halls and Community Centres. 3. CURRENT HOUSING DEMAND According to Statistics SA (Census 2001), the housing backlog within the Okhahlamba Municipality is approximately 14 337, with the majority (91%), residing within the rural hinterland. The Housing Demand in the Municipality is as follows: Wards Councilor Inkosi Areas identified and estimated units 1 T. Mpembe Shabalala 1. Cathkin Park - 100 2. Cathkin Park / Meadowsweet -200 3. Amaswazi - 700 2 V. Mlotshwa Hlongwane 1. Emmaus -500 2. Diepsloot -100 3. Nokopela -100 4. Ezinyonyana -100 5. Vimbukhalo -100 6. Ezibomvini -100 7. Mlimeleni -100 8. Thunzin-i -100 3 S. Zuma Hlongwane 1. Stulwane -300 2. Emagangangozi -300 3. Mhlwazini -400 4. Ngoba -100 5. Mamfemfetheni -100 4 K. Mathebula Hlongwane 1. Dukuza / Rural Ingonyama -600 2. Hoffental (Mission) -500 5 N.B. Hlongwane Hlongwane 1. Amaswazi -300 2. Sandlwane -600 3. Nkosana -200 4. Gangadweni -200 6 J. Shabalala Miya 1. Ebusingatha 2. Obonjaneni (AMAZIZI) -523 Phase 3. Newstand 7 K. Dladla Miya 1.Okhombe 2.Budlankomo (AMAZIZI) -400 Phase 2 6 8 L. Ngwenya Hlongwane 1.Ogade -200 2. Moyeni -500 3. Bhalekisi -300 4. Oliviershoek -300 9 S. Sikhakhane Hlongwane 1. Zwelisha / Rural Ingonyama – 900 + 510 = 1410 10 B. Mchunu 1. Langkloof -500 2. Rookdale -600 11 C.B. Mabizela 1. Woodford - 600 2. Bhethany -700 12 M. Hadebe 1. Action Homes -1000 2. Potshini -100 3. Mahlabathni -100 13 D. Ndaba 1. Geluksburg -200 2. Mabhaceni -100 3. Thintwa -400 4. Qhumaweni -200 5. Hambrook -400 14.Aids 1. Door of Hope (Ekuphileni) Orphanage = 20 Houses 2. Agathos - Cathkin Park - +/ 100 Children = 20 Houses Ward 1 1000 units Ward 2 1200 units Ward 3 1200 units Ward 4 1100 units Ward 5 1300 units Ward 6 Phase 1: 1000 units Phase 2: 523 units Ward 7 Phase 1: 1000 units Phase 2: 400 units Ward 8 700 units + 600 units for Gugulethu Ward 9 900 units + 510 units for Nhlanhleni Ward 10 600 units + 500 units for Langkloof Ward 11 Phase 1: 700 Phase 2: 600 Ward12 1200units Ward 13 1300 TOTAL 14 337 units 7 4. LAND IDENTIFICATION AND SYNERGIES WITH LAND REFORM Within the Municipality there are three Amakhosi areas, namely, Amangwane (Inkosi Hlongwane), Amazizi(Inkosi Miya) and Amaswazi(Inkosi Shabalala). These tribal leaders have already been approached about the housing projects within their respective areas, and are fully in support of it. In relation to this, these tribal leaders have already sent letters to the municipality stating that beneficiaries need to apply for the housing subsidy if they wish to obtain a house from where they are currently residing. Within the municipal area there are also 11 Settlement areas that belong to different land owners. Tenants currently reside in these areas and are given land by the land owners to build their houses. Most of these tenants were moved by the white land owners before the Extention of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA) and Labour Tenants Act. During this time an agreement was reached between the land owners and the tenants, whereby rent was to be paid on an annual basis or on a monthly basis. However, these agreements were not formalised except for 5% of the land owners, who were able to have documents of agreement with their tenants. The municipality has engaged in several meetings with the land owners, whereby the opportunities of obtaining a housing subsidy for the tenants were explained. In this regard, buy-in from the land owners is imperative as services such as electricity, water; accessible roads, schools, mobile clinics and sanitation are already in place. Suitable land and specific land parcels identified for housing projects will need to be identified. This issue is of vital importance as the Department of Land Affairs will now be responsible of acquiring land for housing development. This information is important as it will ensure that housing projects are appropriately located and will provide economic opportunities for beneficiaries. It is anticipated that with rural projects, there will be in-situ upgrades taking place. Synergies with the Department of Land Affairs, therefore, need to be encouraged especially with regard to labour tenant projects. This issue is imperative as the problem of urban sprawl will be discouraged. A policy is currently being developed to deal with the issue of farm worker housing. In regard to this, the municipality will need to explore the context of providing housing for farm workers. It should also be mentioned that the five risks areas for each project are considered, before the project is submitted to the Department of Housing for consideration, i.e. Availability of land (Land Audit), Bulk Services, 8 Environmental Impact Assessment, Geotechnical Investigation Report and Social Compact (Community Involvement) 5. OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES The Municipal objective is to set realistic housing delivery goals and plan and implement housing projects within the auspices of the IDP Process. The Municipal housing priority issues are the following: ¾ Rural Housing ¾ Urban Housing ¾ Rental Housing ¾ Capacity Building (Housing Consumer Education) The Municipality consists predominantly of rural areas with 97% of the Municipal population residing there. 3% of the population consists of Whites, Indians and Coloureds residing in urban areas. Within the Municipality there are also middle income earners such as teachers, nurses and other government employees who require rental accommodation. The Council did approach the Department of Housing for Rental Stock in Bergville, and the Council did take a resolution that the available Council land should be used for Rental Stock purposes. In Bergville there is also council land that was sold to a private company, which will be used to build houses for the middle income market.