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October/November 2016
News
Housing
T
he Helenvale project aims to
become a blueprint in address-
ing housing, living space, public
space and infrastructure, in order to
eliminate poverty and improve con-
ditions. The Helenvale community
has been deeply affected by poverty,
crime, drug abuse and domestic vio-
lence.
The metro has been tasked with
rolling out the funding over a period of
five years. At a recent workshop with
the various stakeholders the German
Development Bank Senior Project
Manager, Gabriela Götz, said that
other cities can replicate theHelenvale
model. This includes a 200 unit pilot
housing project.
According to the MBDA CEO, Dr
Pierre Voges, “Project timelines are
behind schedule, as the city and the
Helenvale community need to resolve
challenges, unpack and analyse the
medium term review. Participants in-
cluded: the NelsonMandela BayMetro
Executive Mayor, Athol Trollip, Acting
Municipal Manager, Johan Mettler,
community leaders, municipal and
provincial delegates, social partners
and community forums.
Voges reported R20 million had
been allocated and only 30% of the
projects had been completed. This
falls short of the projected 50% target
for this stage.
Strategic pillars include:
• Public space and infrastructure
delivery stood at 40% completion
(original projected target: 70%);
• Initiatives promoting safer schools
was recorded at 45% (original pro-
jected target: 60%);
• Youth employment promotion
stood at 25% (original projected
target: 50%);
• Prevention of domestic violence
was 30% (original projected target:
55%);
• Improvement of living spaces stood
at 30% (original projected target:
45%).
Voges said that the recent local mu-
nicipal elections had affected project
timelines and delivery targets. “The
last six months prior to the elections
were extremely disruptive. Contrib-
uting factors included the long pro-
curement process before appointing
contractors; and leadership contests
that included theward committee and
PAC in decisionmaking processes. But
the people voted, and now we must
put our heads down and start work
again. Everyone is committed towork-
ing hard in order to catch up.”
“We are worried about the pilot
housing project, we need to resolve
the council-funded
portion. For every
rand from KfW the
metro must match
i t . Th e Ge rman
funder needs this as-
pect resolved before
we can unlock the
next trench of fund-
ing for the project.”
Voges points out
that a major concern is the mainte-
nance required for the buildings and
infrastructure created in Helenvale.
However, Trollip said that the city
and administration will work hard to
make the SPUU a great success story.
He added that Helenvale is the picture
of peace and community life one day,
and then suddenly violence erupts the
next. “We want to see this community
transformed. We ap-
preciate KfW’s part-
nership and the im-
plementation so far
by the MBDA. But we
are concerned about
the 200 houses in the
housing pilot proj-
ect promised to the
community that has
not materialised. We
cannot tell people they will get houses
and then we don’t build or deliver
them. Thiswill have tobe investigated.
No more empty promises!”
Trollip underscored the importance
of community ownership.
■
‘We are concerned
about the 200 houses
in the pilot
project that have
been promised and
have not been built.’
5 million euros for NMbM Bay upgrade
The German Development Bank (KfW) has provided funding of
€5 million to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) for the Safety
and Peace through Urban Upgrading (SPUU) initiative, through
implementing agents, the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA),
for Helenvale.
Athol Trollip, councillor Pieter Hermaans and Gabriele Götz, at the
Helenvale Resource Centre in Port Elizabeth.