The Bekkersdal Renewal Project was launched in 2004 as the Gauteng Premier’s Project, with overall total project programme duration of seven years.
The Bekkersdal Renewal Project is a model of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s strategy to create sustainable communities on well-located land. These centre on the building of infrastructure closer to where people work, and where there are schools, clinics and access to transport. It involves the building of homes, recreational facilities, community centres and parks in a safe, healthy and clean living environment.
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| Bekkersdal Renewal Project - For generations to come |
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The project aims to provide formal housing for people who have been living in informal settlements, direct access to water, sanitation, electricity and adequate roads. It intends to create a climate conducive to social stability through better access to education, health, safety and security services and the protection of the environment.
The primary focus of the Bekkersdal Renewal Project is to eradicate entrenched social, economic and physical problems. The long-term goal is to establish a self-sustaining, independent and stable community.
The problems faced in Bekkersdal are largely due to a declining mining sector, which was the base economy of Bekkersdal. This situation is compounded by the natural occurrence of dolomite in the area, resulting in the danger of sinkhole formation. It is the aim of the Bekkersdal Renewal Project to physically solve this crisis in the shortest, most efficient and viable manner.
According to Gauteng Department of Housing Project Manager Tsepiso Moloi, the core objectives of the Bekkersdal Renewal Project are to address the plight of Bekkersdal residents located on high-risk and dolomitic land through a relocation plan. Those affected include communities residing in informal settlements, backyard shacks and hostel residents.
Nico Venter, programme manager for the Powerhouse consortium working on the project, agrees with Moloi that an overriding aspect of the project includes the identification of land to be used for the relocation of residents of the informal settlement. The aim is to eventually move these people to a new place of residence.
Another significant part of the project is the upgrading and improvement of general living conditions in the existing Bekkersdal township. To this end, projects include the upgrading of taxi ranks, partial streetscaping, park development, construction of clinics and a multi-purpose community centre, as well as the establishment of industry and training facilities to boost the local economic development of Bekkersdal.
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In his 2003 State of the Nation Address, President Thabo Mbeki said “The Urban Renenwal Programme focuses on integrated development of urban communities at scale, to cultivate sustainable local economies” with the intent of “poverty alleviation, creating a caring and responsive government, reducing unemployment, creating a better life for all and integrated, high impact, time-bound, targeted intervention”.
“Having listened to the people of Bekkersdal during the Presidential Imbizo in Gauteng, National Government will work with the Province and Local Government to introduce Public Works Programmes in this area. We shall find safe and secure land for settlement and upgrade community infrastructure to improve social services and provide some employment.”
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Vision
The core of the Bekkersdal Renewal Project is the relocation of residents settled on unsafe dolomitic soil.
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| A scenic route to Bekkersdal |
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Mission
The Bekkersdal Renewal Project is an initiative from the Gauteng Provincial Government aimed at renovating strategic urban localities through revamping of existing infrastructure, local economic development projects and social integration.
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| A scenic route to Bekkersdal |
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Objectives
1. The empowerment of local small, micro and medium enterprises (SMME’s)
2. Socio-economic upliftment and urban integration of the Bekkersdal community
3. Ensuring community access to municipal, civic and retail services
4. Implementation of high-impact high-visibility infrastructure projects
5. To develop and support opportunities for economic prosperity
6. To address the unemployment, illiteracy and overall poverty
7. To create a well-regulated, safe and healthy living environment for the community
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Strategies
Based on the Vision, Mission and Objectives of the Bekkersdal Renewal Project, the following Strategies have been defined, in the following five areas:
Spatial Structure
1.Spatially organise land according to principles of sustainability and livability
2. Target specific areas for intervention and renewal
3. Zone land appropriately and use land efficiently
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Transportation
1. Promote equitable access to public transport
2.Integrate public transport and economic activities
3.Facilitate the efficient use and operation of public transport
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Social amenities
1. Address the social needs of the community
2. Provide relevant and appropriate social facilities
3.Spatially organise social facilities to ensure its equitable access
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Economic activities
1.Increase the viability of economic activities
2.Optimise accessibility to economic activities
3.Facilitate the establishment of diverse economic activities
4.Promote the efficient and cost-effective operation of economic activities
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Economic activities
1.Increase the viability of economic activities
2.Optimise accessibility to economic activities
3.Facilitate the establishment of diverse economic activities
4.Promote the efficient and cost-effective operation of economic activities
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Core Challenges facing Bekkersdal:
The Bekkersdal informal settlements have arisen on the highest risk area around Bekkersdal, endangering the lives of many informal households. Due to the geological conditions of the area, and the declining mining sector, the Bekkersdal Renewal Project was formed to address the following core challenges:
Increased Risk:
The risk to the formal and informal settlements of Bekkersdal due to the geologically unstable conditions increases every day, especially as the groundwater extraction increases. The Gemsbokfontein area must be cleared immediately, whilst the Zuurbekom risk profile will reach critical levels in two to five years.
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Lack of Basic Services:
Due to the dolomitic risk affecting Bekkersdal, no services, with the exception of limited temporary water, have been provided. As a result, 15 000 families live in unhealthy conditions. Contaminated water is used for consumption and raw sewerage and waste is dumped onto streets.
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High Emergency Risk:
Due to the dense level of settlement, Bekkersdal is prone to emergency situations related to the occurrence of fire outbreaks and flooding. Currently, only limited emergency services exist to combat these problems and these cannot obtain effective access into the informal settlements.
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Socio Economic and Moral Decay:
Due to high levels of unemployment and poor physical conditions, community morals and values have deteriorated, resulting in, inter alia, domestic abuse, violence, crime, loss of life, and disease. A sense of loss and lack of permanency has eroded the social fabric.
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Lack of Information:
Due to the above-mentioned problems, none or little reliable information exists concerning the actual socio-economic dynamics within the settlement. A detailed survey and registration is being conducted to solve this problem.
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Lack of Institutional Capacity:
Limited institutional capacity exists at local level to effectively resolve the problems faced by Bekkersdal. Municipal departments providing community services (health, police, welfare etc.) have facilities in Bekkersdal Proper, but these are geared to deal with the formal population of Bekkersdal only and not with its informal population. Consequently, they are overburdened by the additional informal population and hence deliver inadequate services.
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Poverty and Unemployment:
The entire Bekkersdal community is exposed to poverty and unemployment. The dependency of the area’s economy on the declining mining sector is the primary reason for this. A dramatic, innovative solution must be found to break this poverty cycle, focusing on decreasing the dependency of the area on the mines. Agriculture is the most likely short-term solution to establish food independency and to break the poverty cycle.
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Influx Control:
Despite the problems faced with regard to overcrowding, lack of municipal services and the potential for social disaster, there remains a continuous influx of rural immigrants to Bekkersdal. No effective grassroots monitoring or control systems exist to deal with this issue. This problem is also directly linked to capacity problem existing at Local Council level.
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These basic problems define the current reality facing Bekkersdal. The Bekkersdal Urban Renewal Project will need to effectively, speedily and efficiently deal with these problems through appropriate solutions.
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