The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is concerned about the Ekurhuleni Metro’s constant focus on so-called “mega-city” developments, while existing municipal housing is in a terrible condition.
Across the Metro area, thousands of apartments and housing units are literally falling apart. Many of these units are vacant even though there are lots of families, who urgently need housing, on the waiting lists. The decay generally includes dilapidated buildings, vandalised infrastructure, leaking pipes and broken elevators.
Although financial constraints are often used as an excuse, the money earmarked for maintenance is usually not enough. This is one of the reasons why the Freedom Front Plus did not support the Metro’s budget.
The party is of the opinion that existing housing should first be repaired and properly maintained before new projects are undertaken, which will only add to the Metro’s financial strain while wasting taxpayers’ money.
Examples of these so-called mega-city projects include the John Dube development in Duduza (10 531 planned units), Daggafontein near Springs (16 940 units) and Leeuwpoort (22 000 units). After years, these projects have still not been completed and yet the Metro is expected to provide services and infrastructure to the developments.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep pressuring the Metro to urgently repair existing housing and allocate available units to families who have been waiting for years.
The party also demands a realistic, fully funded maintenance budget and the rejection of provincial mandates that the Metro lacks the capacity to execute.
This is not primarily about party politics, but about justice, the protection of taxpayers and families’ right to safe, dignified housing.
