The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and Chairperson of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) Secretariat, Patricia de Lille , today 12th August 2021 conducted an oversight visit to the mixed use Lufhereng Human Settlements project in Soweto to view progress on this massive and important housing project. The Lufhereng project, which commenced a few years ago, has many beneficiaries already living in the development.
The Lufhereng Human Settlements project was one of 62 projects gazetted by DPWI as a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) on 24 July 2020 in terms of the Infrastructure Development Act which means that it will now follow an expedited path to delivery and is being monitored by a SIP steering committee to ensure that any delays and blockages are addressed speedily.
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With this project gazetted under SIP 24, it will see all three spheres of government working together much closer to see this project being expedited and implemented at a faster pace.
Being gazetted as a SIP means this project has been prioritised by all three spheres of government with closer working relations to ensure that this project is implemented successfully.
While a project of this scale is complex and requires multi-year budgeting and implementation plans, I appealed to the implementing spheres of government and departments to work more closely together to unblock any impediments standing in the way of moving this project forward faster.
In attendance were the Deputy Minister for DPWI, Noxolo Kiviet, Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements Urban Panning, Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Lebogang Maile and MEC for Infrastructure Development, Tasneem Motara, the Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements in the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Mlungisi Mabaso and the two councillors for the area, councillors Elliot Sithole and Theo Dhlamini.
The Lufhereng project has been planned as a fully integrated and mixed-use suburb which will be the jewel in the west of greater Soweto; a destination of choice where families of various income levels and new homeowners will preferentially settle and obtain security of title to provide a safe and secure environment for their families; and investing in a high quality of housing products which will form the basis of personal wealth creation.
The project is being implemented in 10 phases over a number of years up to 2029.
