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November 2015
News
T
he President officially opened
the N2 Gateway project in the
Cape Town informal settlement
during October.
The N2 Gateway Integrated Hu-
man Settlements Development is a
national priority project designed
to address poverty, destitution and
homelessness through the elimina-
tion of informal settlements.
The President said that prior to the
launch, there was no adequate hous-
ing in the area and residents lived in
squalor. “We wanted to ensure that
the N2 Gateway project becomes an
important intervention.
“We realised that in order to cater
to the needs of the residents of the
city, there had to be a change of gear
and approach in the way of doing
things,” said Zuma.
The President said that govern-
ment wanted to ensure that the
project not only created houses,
but was part of an overall strategy
to provide facilities such as schools
and clinics, correct apartheid spatial
planning and bring people closer
to work opportunities. To date, the
project has delivered over 14 000
houses. The Department of Human
Settlements will complete a further
8 000 units by 2019.
The President unveiled a plaque
to commemorate the official opening
of the project. He put on a protective
jacket and hard hat and laid bricks at
one of the units under construction.
Accompanied by Water and Sani-
tation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane
and Human Settlements Deputy
Minister Zou Kota-Fredericks, he
proceeded to hand over houses to
several beneficiaries before address-
ing members of the community.
Similar projects being rolled out
nationally include Ethekwini in
KwaZulu-Natal, the Nelson Man-
dela Metro in the Eastern Cape and
Lerato Park in Kimberly in the North-
ern Cape, amongst others. “We have
also made tremendous strides with
regards to human settlements in the
mining towns, thanks to the part-
nership and support of the mining
companies,” he said.
The President added that the N2
Gateway project, along with others
around the country, would go a long
way in putting a dent on the country’s
housing backlog.
He said government would also
ensure that it speeds up the process
of building sustainable human settle-
ments becauseCapeTown, inparticu-
lar, was still faced with a challenge of
informal settlements.
“Projects such as the N2 Gateway
had a positive impact on the lives of
many people in areas such as Langa,
Delft and Gugulethu townships.”
■
Zuma officially opens N2 Gateway
President Jacob Zuma says government’s efforts to restore
the dignity of the residents of Langa through the roll-out of
integrated human settlements have paid off.
President Jacob Zuma
Zou Kota Fredericks