Lufhereng housing development in Soweto shrouded in controversy

Today in Parliament I called on the City of Johannesburg to come clean on the Lufhereng housing development in Ward 53, Soweto, which is shrouded in controversy.

Statement by Toby Chance, MP

30th October 2014

The City of Johannesburg has long been bragging about its massive Lufhereng housing development in Ward 53 in the far west of Soweto. Launched in 2008, it was projected to comprise 6 000 rental units, 6 000 bonded units and 12 000 RDP units, as well as schools, clinics, crèches, agricultural and commercial land.

Lufhereng is overseen by the City of Johannesburg Department of Housing and is a joint development with the Gauteng Department of Housing and the Department of Human Settlements. The budget runs into billions of Rands.

The plan foresaw 1 500 houses being built per year but the project came to a halt while new tenders were prepared and issued.

As is the practice in all developments affecting local communities, a project steering sub-committee of the Ward Committee was elected to ensure community interests are safeguarded.

The Ward was thrown into confusion in September with the arrest on charges of kidnapping of ANC Ward 53 councillor Busisiswe Radebe. She was released on bail a month later but still has questions to answer.

For the past two weeks I have been requesting a meeting with the City’s Executive Director of Housing for an update on the development, so far without a response. 

The City must come clean on the status of Lufhereng and why it has been quiet on the arrest of Cllr Radebe. Suspicions have been raised in the ward that ANC factional interests over the awarding of tenders to ANC-connected contractors have led to her prolonged detention.

I intend getting to the bottom of this matter to ensure the community is not prejudiced and any whiff of corruption is exposed.