DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING SETTLEMENTS KZN
Government in Durban

Together breaking new ground to achieve decent, integrated and sustainable human settlements patterns. The objective of the programme is to reduce the initial mortgage loan amount to render the monthly loan repayment instalments affordable over the loan payment term, or mortgage loan period, or can be used as a deposit to purchase the property. It is set to be one of the largest strategic human settlement infrastructure projects for the Province. Once entirely complete, the project is proposed to provide about 28 000 homes catering for a wide range of income levels and is envisaged to create at least 48 000 permanent jobs while another 15 000 job opportunities are expected to be created during the construction phases. It is a Presidential Priority Project and will be used as a blueprint for around 77 other catalytic projects across the country. These are stories of families being reunited, dignity being restored and shackles of poverty being broken. The total value of internal services (infrastructure) is about R58 million and just under R158 million for the top structure. A total of 20 jobs have been created for the community of Siyahlalala. MEC Ravi Pillay and his entourage started by pouring concrete in one of the slabs this morning which symbolised that work has begun and that the long wait of the community of Siyahlalala is producing positive results. This project is right at the heart (CBD) of Newcastle Municipality and is called Siyahlalala because the Community did not want to be moved from this place but rather for government to develop the area that they are living in. In his address, MEC Ravi Pillay said this is a wonderful day and month because this is the month when our first democratic leader, the icon, tata Nelson Mandela, was born and challenged people of Siyahlalala to stand for the values that Mandela believed in. MEC Pillay also emphasized the importance of good working relations between the community, the municipality and Implementing Agent.