1. EKURHULENI METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY CITIES ALLIANCE PUBLIC POLICY FORUM

2. STATISTICAL OVERVIEW

3. CURRENT REALITIES Urban land invasion - formation of new informal settlements on the periphery. Densification of existing informal settlements. High poverty levels. Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infections and marginalisation. Global determination of upgrading costs.

4. Increased marginalization. Racial separation replaced by economic segregation. Available land is expensive. Decreasing subsidy amount. Land speculation CURRENT REALITIES

5. Municipal area is 192 000 hectres in size Vacant land available is approximately 30 700 hectres Government owned land available is 6000 hectres Private land holding consists of 11 000 hectres CURRENT REALITIES

6. Approximately 13 000 hectres is not suitable due to poor environmental legacy inherited. Land required for human settlement is 4000 hectres Approximately 58 000 hectres of land in Ekurhuleni is outside the urban edge CURRENT REALITIES

7. STRATEGIES  Upgrading of existing Informal Settlements  Enhanced land management to curb invasion  Maintaining a balance in addressing competing demands for upgrading and allocations from the Waiting List database  Alignment with National/Provincial strategies – Social Housing Mixed Income development

8. STRATEGIES  Approval of Municipal Housing Development Plan.  Land Audit  Targeted areas of intervention and development  Development within the determined urban edge.

9. Alignment of the Informal Settlement Upgrading Programme with new residential development De-densification of informal settlements Provision of water and sanitation services :- The challenge is to fast-track the upgrading of informal settlements and the provision of water and sanitation services by 2014. HUMAN SETTLEMENT PRIORITIES

10. Promotion of good governance and intergovernmental alignment Creation of jobs, skills development, economic empowerment and equity An urban renewal strategy that ensures that we uplift and upgrade the region Implement targets arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. Poverty reduction Improved community based participation HUMAN SETTLEMENT PRIORITIES

11. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies Why the need: Upgrade existing slum areas Improve sustainability of human settlements. Promote densification. Ensure integration. Promote social equality and justice. Eradicate poverty. Eradicate land speculation

12. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies Requirements must include: Economic sustainability of the policy. Ensure pre-development/development/post- development costs. Flexibility. Allowances for cross-subsidization. Ensure inclusion and discourage exclusion Promotion of life-cycle planning in human settlements

13. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies How: Discourage sterile absentee landownership. Expropriation. Activist state intervention in the land acquisition process. Premiums being placed on suitable land for human settlement. Public sector management of subsidized housing programme.

14. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies How: Remove state imposed barriers to access to housing by the poor. Allow for the peculiarities of local needs to determine development priorities. Exercise control of land management with communities Desist from best practices with no relevance

15. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies How: Promote public-private partnerships. Mixed income development. Re-direct local municipal spending patterns. Improving social infrastructure. Overhaul planning and design principles related to human settlements.

16. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies Results: The council has managed to reduce the land acquisition backlog to approximately 750 hectres A total of approximately 30 portions of proposed land purchases are under consideration. A total of twenty contracts have been concluded for the purchase of land subject to feasibilities/EIA/Geotechnical studies

17. Proposed Pro-Poor Land Development Strategies Results: The National and Provincial Departments of Housing has ring-fenced approximately R85m for land purchases for housing in Ekurhuleni. One portion will yield approximately 13 000 units including 3000 middle to high income land portions. Conservative cross-subsidization amount for low income housing is R100m