Thembisa housing project of R371m yet to take off

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24-04-2025
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Kempton Express
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The mismanagement of several incomplete mega-housing projects in the Ekurhuleni.

Projects launched with the promise of delivering thousands of homes to ease Ekurhuleni’s housing backlog have failed, with some sites remaining vacant years after construction was supposed to begin.

In Thembisa Ext 25, they spent R371m, but the site remains empty and residents are still without their promised homes.

MMC for Human Settlements, Kgopelo Holo, attributed the delay to a lack of funds to repair damages caused by vandalism over two years ago.

“Dozens of people captured the project, to steal windows, roofs, and electric cables,” Holo said.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) agreed with Holo’s comments, highlighting this is not an isolated case but part of a disturbing trend affecting several mega-housing projects across the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).

The party expressed concern that residents must now wait for the CoE to receive R97m from the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements before doing anything.

One of the most striking examples is the Daggafontein housing project, which began in 2016 with plans to deliver approximately 17 000 houses.

By May 2023, they completed the basic infrastructure, with no housing units constructed because of ongoing contractor issues and community conflicts.

These setbacks run contrary to the CoE’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for 2022/23 to 2026/27, prioritising sustainable human settlements and an improved quality of life for all its residents.

Freedom Front Plus Councillor Rudolf Herbst condemned the delays and lack of transparency.

“This is unacceptable. Ekurhuleni residents deserve transparency and accountability in these projects.

“We will escalate the matter to the Gauteng provincial government to ensure those responsible are held accountable. We expect decisive action to address the ongoing housing crisis in the city,” said Herbst.

Several other mega-housing developments are planned across Ekurhuleni, including:

• John Dube Mega City (Duduza): 10 531 housing units
• Daggafontein Mega City (Springs): 16 940 housing units
• Leewpoort Integrated Human Settlement: 22 000 units
• Chief Albert Luthuli Mega Housing Project (Benoni): 1 839 serviced stands and 6 239 housing units
• Thembisa Ext 25: 3 510 social housing units
• Vosloorus Ext 9 Mega Housing Project: 584 RDP houses and 70 social housing units.

On April 5, Kempton Express requested details on the current status, allocated budgets, expected completion dates, and number of units completed for each project from the CoE.

The city was asked to respond by April 11. At the time of going to print, we received no response.