Human Settlements
Whether his Department has any plans in place to supply services to the Darkside informal settlement at Grabouw; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
In terms of the National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP) study (Draft) that was conducted, Darkside is not suitable for in-situ incremental upgrading. In order to accommodate the residents, the municipality has submitted an application to extend the Rooidakke IRDP project which is currently with my department’s Project Administration Unit for approval to relocate the residents.
Here under is an extract from the NUSP project study which outlines the plan for the Darkside community specifically:
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“The Darkside informal settlement is located on land which is owned by Theewaterskloof Municipality and is currently zoned as Open Space Zone. The Theewaterskloof Spatial Development Forum has identified the Darkside site and surrounding area as earmarked for future urban development. The development constraints associated with the full upgrading of Darkside include the fact that the settlement is not located in close proximity to community facilities. Approximately 50% of the site has access to bulk infrastructure while the remainder is un-serviced. However, it should not be costly to provide engineering infrastructure connections to the remainder of the site due to the availability of nearby infrastructure. Furthermore, the site is subject to a major physical and environmental constraints (hydrological, topographical, environmental and geotechnical), as a river runs directly through the site and significantly hinders the upgrading potential of the site. Given the considerations outlined above, the hydrology evaluation of the site indicates that Darkside is unsuitable for development”. |
