The City of Cape Town’s Department of Human Settlements is beaming with pride after successfully hosting the launch of the UN’s South African Global Action Plan Framework for Informal Settlements.
City of Cape Town human settlements Mayco member Malusi Booi joined Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and the UN Habitat executive director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, on Friday for the launch of the initiative in Cape Town.
Speaking on the significance of the Action Plan Framework, Booi said the City utilised the launch in Cape Town to showcase some of the work it is doing to improve residents’ lives in informality and innovations.
The Global Action Plan Framework for Informal Settlements and Slums officially kicked off on October 12 until October 17 in various provinces and cities across South Africa.
Booi said: “The City of Cape Town is committed to enhancing conditions of informality and making sure that those residents living in conditions of informality are included in basic and essential service delivery. At the same time, we are also working on progressively establishing tenure to change the living conditions of our most vulnerable residents.”
Booi had taken the delegation to visit the Bosasa Phase 2 Incremental Development Area which comprises improving informality through alternative technology.
He said that this year, the City of Cape Town had allocated approximately R420 million to enhance and mainstream basic services for residents in informal settlements, as well as backyard dwellers, and was also planning to use at least R30 million of the budget for alternative technology.
“It is a recognition that informality is here to stay, that we need to look at how to include all residents in service provision and that innovation and greater partnerships are key for us to enable more decent living conditions for especially our most vulnerable residents.”
“The shift in focus to mainstreaming basic services, informal settlement upgrades and site and service offerings and improvement of tenure will continue over the next decades as many governments in urban centres deal with the pressure of increased urbanisation of residents with no to low financial and social resources,” Booi said.
Through our various human settlements programmes, from formal housing to social and affordable housing, to informal settlement upgrades and backyarder services, Booi said the City was focused on building a Cape Town for all.
“We are proud to be a participant and host of the UN visit, to show what we are doing as an administration, but also highlight that there is much work to be done to bring a more dignified existence to all our residents,” he said.
The City of Cape Town’s human settlements directorate’s overall 2022/23 budget includes funds allocating R30 million for alternative building technology, R19 million towards backyarder service enhancement, R370 million for informal settlements upgrading project, R284.7 million for public housing maintenance, and R818 million for breaking ground on social housing and incremental development projects.