1. PRELIMINARY DRAFT not for circulation
feasibility and review of housing plan for MPHEKWENI 500

3. Feasibility and Review of Housing Plan
MPHEKWENI 500
Feasibility and Review of Housing Plan
prepared for
EASTERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
31-33 Phillip Frame Road Chiselhurst
Tel: +27 (0)
NGQUSHWA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
PO Box 539, Peddie, 5640
Tel: (040)
Fax: (040) by
CNdV africa (Pty) Ltd
environmental planning, urban design, landscape architecture
17 New Church Street Cape Town 8000
Tel: Fax:
Kantey & Templer
PO Box 15087
Beacon Bay, 5205
Tel:
IQ Vision
110 Sarel Cillier Street Strand 7140
Tel:
March 2014

5. CONTENTS LIST OF ANNEXURES LIST OF FIGURES 2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.1.2 Purpose of the Report
2.1.2 Background of this Report
2.1.3 Terms of Reference
2.1.4 Background to Settlement
2.2 Status of Housing Project and Waiting List
2.3 Land Identification and Ownership
2.4 Engineering
2.5 Environment
2.6 Geo-tech
2.7 Distribution of Social Facilities
2.8 Current Spatial Development Framework
2.9 Future Plans of Other Sector Departments
2.10 Approval by Council
2.11 Summary and Recommendations
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Locality Plan
Figure Aerial Photograph
Figure Visual Survey
Figure Statistical Background
Figure Extent of General Plan
Figure Engineering
Figure Environment
Figure Geo-tech
Figure Distribution of Social Facilities
Figure Current Spatial Development Framework
LIST OF ANNEXURES
Annexure 1 Ownership
Annexure 2 Title Deed
Annexure 3 Surveyor General diagram

6. CONTENTS GLOSSARY ACRONYMS
Informal Site: A Site occupied by a household or to which a household has customary rights, e.g. Permission to occupy (PTO, no longer formally in use) or community agreement via a meeting of elders including headman or chief.
Formal Site: A site occupied by a household or to which a household is entitled to have a registered right recorded at the Deeds Registry with a title deed and surveyors diagram and/or registered General Plan. However, in many instances title deeds have not been issued nor ownership registered.
In-Situ upgrade project: Formalising of tenure and installation of services and possibly also construction of a subsidised dwelling on land on which people are already living. Generally refers to a project larger than one unit.
Greenfields project: New project site which there has been no formal or informal settlement, industry, infrastructure to date. Project sites are often outside of existing urban development.
Infill Project: New project site within existing urban development usually on under utilised or vacant land and which often can help to promote physical integration between spatially isolated parts of the settlement.
Rectification projects: Repair or rebuilding of defective existing houses built through one or other government housing program.
Erven: The plural of ‘erf’ meaning plots of land each registered as an ‘erf’ in a deeds registry and forming part of a registered General Plan.
Plots: The plural of ‘plot’ meaning unregistered pieces of land informally laid out.
Portion: A plot of land forming part of a proposed or approved (by LM Council) subdivision layout but which has not yet been registered by the Surveyor General as a general plan and for which erf numbers have not yet been registered.
ACRONYMS
ECDHS Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlement
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
GP General Plan
HSP Human Settlement Plan
LM Local Municipality
MHSP Municipal Human Settlement Plan
SA South Africa
SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute
SDF Spatial Development Framework

8. INTRODUCTION 2.1 2.1.1 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
The purpose of this report is to describe the key elements to be taken into account when assessing the feasibility of Mphekweni 500 as a Human Settlement Project and to recommend whether it should be approved or not.
2.1.2 BACKGROUND TO THIS REPORT
This report is one of five Human Settlement Project feasibility reports for Ngqushwa Municipality. It is designed so that it can be part of a single document that includes the other four projects.
2.1.3 TERMS OF REFERENCE (Part C.3 Scope of work Tender No. SCMU11-12/13-A0240)
The project terms of reference for the feasibility report are summarised as follows:
Ascertain the feasibility of the project within each MHSP. The study shall reveal the developmental opportunities and constraints in relation to:
Determination of housing demand and potential beneficiary status
Land identification and ownership
Availability of bulk services and confirmation of capacity
Environmental conditions;
Geo-technical conditions
Alignment with Municipal Spatial Planning
Visual survey (area visits)
Future development plans of other sector departments
Provision of recommendation and proposals to ECDHS
2.1.4 BACKGROUND TO SETTLEMENT
SITE DETAILS
Registered Owner: Ngqushwa Municipality
Site Description: A portion of Farm 286, Peddie
Title Deed Number: To follow
Servitudes: Yes
Site Size: Ha
Mphekweni 500 is within the jurisdiction of Nqqushwa Municipality.
Mphekweni is a remote rural village of approximately 946 people located near the south west edge of the municipal boundary.
It is approximately 68 km south-east of Grahamstown and 87 km south-west of King William’s Town.

9. Locality Plan
Figure 2.1.1

10. Aerial Photograph
Figure 2.1.2

11. Figure 2.1.3 VISUAL SURVEY a. Shop servicing the area
b. Formal businesses in the area
c. Formal businesses in the area
d. Services in place on site
e. Informal housing within the area
f. Houses located in dispersed layout

13. STATUS OF HOUSING PROJECTS AND WAITING LISTS 2.2
A project of 500 subsidies has been proposed for Mphekweni.
Note: comparing the number of likely households arising from the Census 2011 population and number of proposed subsidies suggests there may be a surplus of subsidies when the verified waiting list is finally received.
The proposed project’s delivery strategy and housing instrument is project linked housing subsidies onto informal plots.
The waiting lists are awaited from the Department of Human Settlements. Therefore, the total beneficiaries are unknown until the waiting lists are verified.
During the site visit on 23 October 2013, it was observed that the site is serviced.
MPHEKWENI 500
Population (Ngqushwa SDF 2010)
Not specified
Population (2011 Census)
946
No. Households (2011 Census)
273
Proposed Subsidies (EC DHS)
500
Waiting List (Ngqushwa LM)
Awaiting
Figure Statistical Background

14. LAND IDENTIFICATION AND OWNERSHIP 2.3
The land on which Mphekweni 500 will be located is a portion of Farm 268, Peddie (G.P No. 3546/2001), see figure
Some beneficiaries reside on this erf with no demarcated plots.
The general plan was approved on the 7th of August 2001.
According to the surveyor-general, the property has not been registered at the Registrar of Deeds. Therefore, it can be assumed that the property is still under the ownership of the municipality, see Annexure 2.
The SDF proposals for this site is not specified in the Ngqushwa 2010 SDF, see section 2.8.

15. Extent of General Plan
Figure 2.3.1

16. ENGINEERING (Kantey and Templer) 2.4
BULK SERVICES
Existing Services
....
INTERNAL SERVICES
GEOTECHNICAL CONDITIONS
EXISTING INTERNAL SERVICES ARE ADEQUATE AND REQUIRE NO UPGRADING
Await K&T
TOP STRUCTURE
....
TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT
...
ROADS AND ACCESSIBILITY
THE PROJECT IS FEASIBLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.

17. Engineering (Kantey and Templer)
Figure 2.4.1
Await K&T

18. ENVIRONMENT
2.5
The project is an in-situ upgrade with existing roads and buildings.
The Eastern Cape Biodiversity Plan (ECBCP), 2007 has developed four terrestrial Biodiversity Land Management Classes (BLMCs) according to the terrestrial Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs). Each BLMC sets out the desired ecological state that the area should be kept in to ensure biodiversity persistence.
The site falls within CBA 2 as per SANBI data (2007) and therefore is subject to BLMC 2 guidelines according to the ECBCP. This must be ground-truthed by a Professional Botanist prior to undertaking the Human Settlement Project.
BLMC 2 permits the land to be used for Conservation, Game Farming and Communal Livestock. Settlements are not recommended for these areas.
However, it can be seen on Figure that CBA 2 is shown as extending over all of the built-up areas of Mphekweni. This is clearly incorrect and the mapping of CBAs in this vicinity has not been ground-truthed and amended. Therefore, subject to a site inspection by a botanist, no EIA will be necessary as a result of it being a CBA site.
Subsistence farming can be found throughout the site and should be taken into consideration.
South facing slopes are also occurring on the site, which are not typically desirable for development.
Housing development needs to ensure that it remains 32m from the River or watercourse so as to avoid triggering NEMA EIA Regulations, namely Listing No. 40 as identified in the Government Notice R. 344 (Listing Notice 1). Should the development require a buffer less than 32m, a basic assessment will be required for:
The expansion of:
jetties by more than 50 square metres;
slipways by more than 50 square metres; or
buildings by more than 50 square metres
infrastructure by more than 50 square metres within a watercourse or within 32 metres of a watercourse, measured from the edge of a watercourse, but excluding where such expansion will occur behind the development setback line.

19. Environment
Figure 2.5.1

20. GEO-TECH (Kantey and Templer) 2.6
Preliminary and Phase 1 geotechnical site investigations are required to obtain a more accurate evaluation of the development potential of each site, but the initial indications are that the geology is unlikely to pose a significant threat to the further development of these areas.
Some potential geotechnical constraints have been identified for further investigation which may have an impact on the extent of the developable land and/or the development costs.
The recommended typical foundations for subsidy housing are conventional strip foundations or light rafts to cater for variations in soil profile and minor soil movements.
On sloping terrain, some earthworks and retaining walls may be required to create level platforms for houses and this can have significant cost implications.
Foundations should be placed on well compacted natural soil, engineered fill or rock. Founding conditions will have to be inspected by the engineer to confirm suitable soil conditions with adequate bearing capacity and to check for any seepage or groundwater problems.
In terms of the geotechnical information available, the proposed housing projects appear. (Outeniqua Geotechnical Services cc, 2013 )

21. Geo-tech (Kantey and Templer) Figure 2.6.1
The Site

22. DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL FACILITIES 2.7
There are 2 primary and 1 secondary school located along the edge of the site, which is adequate for the proposed project, see figure
There is 1 clinic situated within the site, which will service the whole site.
Residents must travel to Peddie in order to access higher order health, police and education facilities.
No new facilities are required to support the proposed human settlements project.

23. Distribution of Social Facilities
Figure 2.7.1

24. CURRENT SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 2.8
The SDF does not make specific proposals for Mphekweni.
Mphekweni falls within the area demarcated as Development Zone. The SDF does not specify what is permitted within this zone.
The proposed Human Settlement Project does not contravene SDF proposals for Mphekweni.

25. Current Spatial Development Framework (Ngqushwa SDF, 2010)
Figure 2.8.1
The Site

26. FUTURE PLANS OF OTHER SECTOR DEPARTMENTS 2.9
The following table indicates future plans of other sector departments proposed in the various settlements as contained in the IDP

27. APPROVAL BY COUNCIL
2.9
Await council resolution

28. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2.10
The ownership of the land on which Mphekweni 500 and its environs are located is registered to Ngqushwa Municipality.
Engineering services are in place on the site. (K&T to confirm)
In Terms of ECBCP BLMCs that apply to CBA 2 that covers a portion of the site, settlements are not recommended. It is recommended that the site be assessed by a Botanist to verify and ground-truth the extent of CBA 2 on the site prior to the commencement of Human Settlement Project.
A detailed geo-technical site visit inspection and, if necessary, survey will be required prior to the project commencing.
The project comprises of 500 housing subsidy units onto informally occupied land. It is important to note that there may be a surplus in housing provision once the waiting lists have been verified.
The beneficiary list is still to be verified.
No new facilities are required to support the proposed human settlements project.
The Human Settlement Project is in line with the SDF, as the site falls within the Development Zone.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The project is feasible, pending a technical assessment by a Botanist to ground truth the extent of CBA 2 on the site.
The Umzi Choice program ought to be considered as a possible human settlement delivery instrument for this project.

29. ANNEXURE 1: OWNERSHIP PRINTOUT

31. ANNEXURE 2: TITLE DEED

33. ANNEXURE 3: SURVEYOR GENERAL DIAGRAM