The Peoples Housing Process is a new concept in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality prior to 2002 April most of PHP projects were run by communities like Benevolence Housing Trust. These projects were Community driven with the local authority providing finance and technical assistance where needed.

After the Housing Policy changed in April 2002 where a decision was taken that all housing projects will be incremental housing provision projects except the projects approved before April 2002.

Currently there are four PHP projects run by the CTMM as the

These are:

(a) Benevolence (Soshanguve Extension TT)

(b) Soshanguve Extension JJ and HH

(c) Soshanguve Extension R and S (Women in Construction) and

(d) Mamelodi Extension 5

(a) Structural Defects on Housing Units:

What support has been given to PHP?

The CTMM provides support for PHP in three key areas.

1. Given that the PHP concept is quite new for the CTMM and its communities, the CTMM in a bid to ensure that communities become familiar with the concept has:

• Demarcated the CTMM into 5 regions, these are the Centurion region, Mamelodi Region, Soshanguve region and the Atteridgeville region, and Winterveld region.
• In each region with the exception of Wintervelt a Housing Support Centre is currently being built. The housing support centre will serve as the main centre in the region and as more other projects become a PHP project, satellite stations will be built in that area but served by the main regional centre.
• The main regional centre will be the one that ensure that all material within that region is purchased on time and delivered in the right satellite centres for construction to take place.
• The regional centre will also serve as the main training centres in soft skills like project management, finance and procurement, and in hard skills like plumbing, brick making, brick laying, carpentry and joinery, electrification etc.

2. The other area of support is financial assistance. This support is in the form of financial, public works programme and community facilities.

• The first one concerns the issue of building the support centres. According to the PHP policy the housing support centres are supposed to be built at a cost of R30 000. The R30 000 is part of the subsidy. The CTMM however supports the PHP by providing finance to build the support centre as a public works programme through its own funds. Through using the public works programme approach – communities are trained how to build while they earn some income in the process.

The other form of support is providing communities with facilities for community use.

On the current running project like Benevolence the CTMM together with the Provincial Department of Labour and Housing provide training in the following skills:

• Brick making
• Brick laying
• Plumbing
• Carpentry and joinery
• Electrifications
• Painting

(b) Local Authority

Do local Authorities as developers have the capacity to manage to do as required by the Constitution?

• The Gauteng Provincial Department of Housing has drafted a memorandum of understanding to be signed between the various Gauteng Local Authorities and the Provincial Housing Department.
• In line with Section 163(a) of the constitution i.e. The Gauteng Provincial Government must do everything in its power to promote and facilitate the provision of housing in the province within the framework of national policy in respect of housing development, the Provincial Housing Department strategic direction aims to jointly plan the location of new housing projects in a consultative manner with Local Authority. The Provincial Housing Department has set up a Housing Development Business Unit / Trading Account as the "developer of choice" to implement approved projects. The Provincial Department has put in place Regional Planning Teams to put systems, capacity in place to facilitate, co-ordinate, monitor and implement projects to improve and accelerate the delivery of housing opportunities.

• The Peoples Housing process (currently there are only two fully employed staff to do this programme and is currently assisted by Gauteng Department of Housing officials.)
• Project Management is also very much under staffed. (Currently there are six project managers in the CTMM Housing Division tasked with 68 housing projects.)
• Institutional / Social Housing unit is also very much under staffed. Currently there are only two officials attending to this programme.
• Hostel Redevelopment Programme. This unit is very much over staffed but due to the introduction of hostel redevelopment/conversion to family units most of the staff does not have the skills required to run redevelopment programmes. Thus the majority of the workers may be redundant or redeployed.
• Sales and Housing Transfers - currently the in house capacity is managing, but once the deadlock over the houses owned by the North West Housing Co-operation is solved, there may be a need to increase the staff capacity to handle the backlog.
• Waiting list and subsidy administration: this unit is fairly staffed but needs to be trained on how to capture data of waiting list and to understand how the systems work in both provinces, i.e. the North West and Gauteng.
• Land Invasion and Informal Settlement Management. This is a very difficult unit to manage and to staff. Currently a report has been tabled to Council to look at the possibilities of the Metro Police to take the responsibilities around land invasion and the Housing Division to manage the informal settlement by providing life line support service. In this case there may be a need to retrain the existing staff to ensure that they are well equipped in risk / disaster management in informal settlements and also to ensure that they understand the issues around informal settlement management in line with the Water and Sanitation Programme.
• Rental Administration unit – the unit is well staffed, and there are no major changes in the administration of the unit except for cost recovery programmes which are not complex at all.

(c) Rental and Housing Stock

Is there any progress towards Rental Housing Stock

Yes, in December 2001 Council approved that all rental units will be administered under the cost recovery programme for the next five years. The first year was 2002 – 2003 and there has been a major increase in the rental collection. Areas of concern is around the poorest of the poor where they cannot increase their rental anymore but a Council report is being prepared to look at alternative measures for the poorest of the poor residing within the rental units.

(d) Municipalities

Yes, the CTMM has standards that have been set for Roads and Storm Water Systems, water and sanitation reticulation and electrification. The engineers under Service Delivery Division are tasked with ensuring that all major infrastructure development is done to Council approved standards to ensure that quality and value for money is attained. For top structure development the CTMM uses building inspectors from Council and also from Province to ensure that construction work is not compromised.

 (e) Hostel Redevelopment Programme

Redevelopment of hostels entails on the short term the urgent alleviation of poor living conditions residents are subjected to as well as transformation of hostels into suitable housing stock. The physical transformation involves the conversion and building of new units into modest family accommodation.

The upgrading are as per the requirements of the hostel policy as specified in the hostel implementation manual as well as the regulations for hostels based on the residential landlord and tenant act ( No 3 of 1997) and as published in the provincial Government Gazette No 64 of 16 October 1998.

Any strategy, which proposes to redevelop hostels, should address three pertinent issues, which are:

1. Design; the current hostel structures are inhumane made up of dormitories accommodating 16 men. The challenge is to introduce designs, which will enhance the public spaces and encourage family living.
2. Subsidy; like any subsidy, it is allocated by the Gauteng department of Housing and provision should be made for top-up funding. It provides only for the bare minimum of shelter.
3. Implementation; this should make provision for among others the use of emerging contractors, local labour, intensive public participation, allocation of room and the integration of such developments with other social amenities.

The City of Tshwane has 6 hostel complexes, which accommodates predominately male residents, these are:

Mamelodi, Soshanguve, Saulsville, Murray & Roberts, Belle Ombre, Kinsley and Garankuwa.

The three hostels, namely Soshanguve, Mamelodi and Saulsville qualifies for subsidies within the hostel development programme for 19 396 beds to the value of R 78,35 million.

 3.1 Garankuwa Hostels

• These hostels are a property of the North-West department of Public Works, an application has been made for the transfer to Ga-rankuwa council.
• They comprise of 26 units, which have mix use.
• Units used for residential purposes accommodate Council and other Public servants.
• Most have registered for RDP houses and can be relocated.
• Units used for business and community purposes have been repaired and are maintained by the new owners.
• It seems there is a need for commercial and for use as social facilities.
• There are no funds in the 2001/2002 CTMM budget to finance any upgrading of these hostels.

• Re-registration of beneficiaries for RDP houses.
• Finalize transfer of property to the City of Tshwane
• Finalize audit of new tenants
• Rezoning for commercial /social purposes
• Sell units to interested parties for commercial and / or as community facilities

• These hostels are a property of the City of Tshwane.
• Belle Ombre hostel has capacity of 104 beds and accommodate only Council employees on a stand by basis. They are mostly used by employees from the departments of electricity, logistical services, city engineers: roads and city engineers water works.
• Kingsley hostels has a capacity of 3120 beds with +/- 600 beds vacant. They accommodate predominantly City of Tshwane employees, students and few employees from the private sector. The generate revenue for Council as its residents pays regularly an amount of approximately R104.00 per bed per month
• Both these hostel units are well maintained and have a reasonable operational budget.
• Both are not accommodated in this current financial year within the hostel development programme. Both will not be considered in the interim within the hostel-upgrading programme and would survive with a sustainable maintenance plan.
• Both these hostels provide their residence with a bed, mattress, locker, communal dinning hall, communal shower, communal fridge, and stove as well as proper sewerage and electricity. In addition to this the Belle Ombre Hostel offers residence and the public picnic facilities, While Kingsley hostel offers them sports facilities.

• These hostels are a property of the City of Tshwane
• Scope of work includes the conversion of 10000 beds into family units, to accommodate individuals and families.
• The first phase was completed in June 2001and have 996 beds whereby blocks G& H were converted into three bed-roomed units. They still house single men with two men sharing a room, lounge/dinning room, kitchen and shower.
• Phase 2 commenced in July 2001and included the conversion of 1006 beds, at 9million at 5million from Gauteng and 4million from City of Tshwane
• The total estimated costs of the entire project is estimated at R60 million

• Scope of work includes conversion of 9 units into 1/2/3 bed-roomed units.
• These hostels were transferred to the erstwhile NPMSS in 2000 from Gauteng Province
• Total estimated cost of the project is R 9.3 million. The revised estimated costs due to delays is estimated at R 12 443 100-00
• Total upgraded hostel beds are 1388 at R 4000,00 per bed.
• R 5 552 000 funded by Gauteng Province and R 3 448 300 by City of Tshwane
• Two units have been100 % completed and are fully occupied

• Delays caused by residents who refuse to relocate.
• High incidence of crime

• Property of City Tshwane
• Hostels could not be developed due to disagreements about the appropriate model of development
• It has a capacity of 8000 registered residents but it is estimated that it accommodates in excess of 10 000 –12 000 residents.
• Part of the hostel has been demolished and about 300 men were relocated to other hostels.

• Setting up of legitimate social infrastructure in all blocks.
• Setting up a maintenance plan to deal with extreme health hazards experienced by the residents.
• Resolve the issue of the appropriate model.
• Appoint professional team.
• Submit business plan to Province
• Install interim ablution and electricity system and negotiate payment of interim services.
• construct phase 1

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