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The Citizen
5 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Millions spent, no progress on Tshwane housing builds
Tshwane's housing crisis is worsening, with no progress made in any of the metro's 53 housing projects during the past quarter. This is according to Lenor Janse van Rensburg, Freedom Front Plus city councillor. She said that despite millions of rands being allocated to housing and infrastructure development, no new homes have been built, no land has been acquired, and no roads or supporting infrastructure have been completed. Janse van Rensburg pointed out that many developments remain bogged down by legal disputes, absent contractors, and interference by local forums. 'Even in areas where infrastructure has been completed, such as in Mamelodi, not a single house has been built in the last three months,' said Janse van Rensburg. She said projects in Rama City and Pretorius Park in Pretoria east are effectively frozen due to contractors lacking proof of compliance with national building regulations. Rama City is a housing development located in the north-western part of Pretoria, near Ga-Rankuwa and the Rosslyn Industrial Area. The project aims to address housing challenges and provide housing, economic upliftment, as well as fulfilling other social needs in the community. Janse van Rensburg emphasised that this delay is not only a source of deep frustration for hopeful homeowners but could also constitute a violation of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which deems the inefficient use of funds as irregular, wasteful expenditure. 'The FF Plus stands for accountability and lawful project management. Service delivery is not a privilege; it is a right,' she said. 'We will continue to fulfil our oversight role and demand that housing projects resume immediately to address this growing crisis.' She proposed several urgent measures to address the crisis, such as the dismissal of underperforming officials, public and independent quarterly audits of performance indicators and the appointment of competent contractors with a proven ability to deliver. Her other proposals include abolishing the public procurement process that favours weak contractors, and replacing it with an approved panel of merit-based contractors, as well as verification of national building regulation certificates before appointment. 'We will continue to press for only competent, certified contractors to be appointed, not political cadres or opportunists,' she stressed. However, the metro has disputed claims that no houses have been built. According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo: – 630 low-cost houses were constructed within the jurisdiction of Tshwane, including 327 houses in Olievenhoutbosch Ext 60, and – R11.7-million was spent completing these homes in terms of the subsidy agreement with the provincial Department of Human Settlements. Responding to concerns about stalled projects, Mashigo denied the existence of any legal obstacles currently halting developments. 'There is no legal challenge halting housing projects for the City of Tshwane.' Janse van Rensburg confirmed to Rekord that a recently tabled report to council showed that R44-million was allocated for the payment of a court case in connection with construction at the Townlands project, where the processes were never followed to build more than 600 units. Mashigo clarified the issue of contractor qualifications, saying, 'In Rama City, the appointed contractor is responsible for the sewer bulk connection and remedial work and has met all necessary requirements. 'In Pretorius Park, an engineering consultant is developing designs, after which contractors will be appointed by the Provincial Department of Human Settlements.' Addressing contractor absenteeism, Mashigo said the metro would 'enforce the conditions of the contract', and local forum disruptions would be managed through 'effective Project Management Steering Committees'. As for possible violations of the MFMA, Mashigo pointed to existing oversight mechanisms, saying, 'Internal controls have been established in terms of policies, standard operating procedures, signed contracts, and existing structures for checks and balances.' Despite infrastructure being completed in Mamelodi, no homes have followed. Mashigo explained that for this project, the construction of houses is the competency of the provincial government. He concluded by assuring residents that efforts are underway to solve the housing crisis. 'Issues have been raised with the provincial Department of Human Settlements, and they have a programme to address all blocked projects in the metro.' As political oversight intensifies and public pressure mounts, the FF Plus insists that only through accountability, transparency, and skilled project management will the people of Tshwane see the houses they have been promised for far too long. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Tshwane's substation fires raise concerns over safety and maintenance
The Zwartkop substation fire and explosion resulted in significant power outages affecting areas such as Clubview, Valhalla, and Thaba Tshwane. Image: Supplied Opposition parties in Tshwane have slammed the city administration for inadequate protection of substations after the Swartkop substation caught fire, leaving areas like Clubview, Valhalla, and Thaba Tshwane without power. The incident follows a similar explosion at the Brakfontein substation just a month ago, which also caused widespread power outages and frustration among residents. The Zwartkop substation fire and explosion caused a trip of the Lyttelton Line 1 at Njala substation, impacting Wingate, Aries, and De Hoewes substations, leaving parts of Centurion and Pretoria East without power. Freedom Front Plus councillor Lenor Janse van Rensburg said her party has repeatedly urged the metro to maintain and properly secure substations, but their requests have been ignored. She commended the Tshwane Emergency Services Department and the Gauteng government for working tirelessly to bring the fire under control. She said alongside the substation fire, two other power outages hit Pretoria on Monday night, which include a cut power cable in Doringkloof and vandalism at a mini substation on Pretorius Avenue. Van Rensburg said: 'The Freedom Front Plus has repeatedly requested that the metro not only maintain substations but also ensure they are properly secured. These requests have fallen on deaf ears.' Former mayor and DA Tshwane caucus leader, Cilliers Brink, demanded that Tshwane disclose how many of its substations are equipped with surge and fire protection. He said: 'No substation is meant to burn down due to voltage surges, whether caused by lightning or cables being hacked off. A surge protection system, backed by battery power, shuts down the substation before a fire breaks out. This not only protects the electricity infrastructure, but also human life.' Brink explained that if surge protection fails, the next line of defence is fire suppression, which can include systems like sprinklers, providing an additional layer of protection. 'This is what makes Tshwane's unusually high number of substation fires extremely suspicious,' he said. As Tshwane mayor last year, following the Mooikloof substation fire, Brink commissioned an investigation into the cause of such fires. The probe included assessing surge protection systems at substations, reviewing payments to service providers responsible for repairing damaged substations, and determining why a tender for surge protection system installation and repair had not been established. Municipal spokesperson Selby Bokaba said on Wednesday that the Zwartkop substation remained off-line while the city's technicians continued with repairs to the damaged site. He said: 'The team's assessment report has revealed that the substation suffered extensive vandalism, resulting in major damage to the 630 mm High Tension (HT) cables and control cables that now need to be replaced. These control cables are essential for the protection of the substation.' Bokaba added that investigations revealed the Lyttelton/Kwagga Overhead Line 1 was also damaged in the Zwartkop substation fire, and the sub-transmission team is currently disconnecting the line. According to him, overnight work showed promising results, with transformer 2B testing positive and ready for use. The next step, he said, will be to replace the stolen single-core and multi-core cables for transformer 2B. Bokaba appreciated the patience displayed by the affected customers, adding that the estimated time for restoration will be communicated once the bulk of the repair work has been completed. [email protected]
