N2 Gateway

 

The N2 Gateway was initiated in 2005 and after years of challenges involving policy, stakeholder relationships, project management, negative racial perceptions, invasions, court actions, community protests, and allegations of corruption, in June 2009 the Housing Development Agency (HDA) was mandated to take over the management of the project. To overcome these inherited challenges the HDA has implemented some important measures in order to manage expectations, including improved communications, increased institutional ties, and most importantly expert project management capability.

 

Working together, the HDA, the Department of Human Settlements, the Western Cape province and the City of Cape Town are committed to building dignified human settlements and creating healthy and cohesive communities in the N2 Gateway. The project is driven by the Western Cape province with the HDA as its implementing agent playing a facilitative role. Closer institutional ties have been identified as vital to the success of the project and all spheres of government are working together to ensure this.

 

The N2 Gateway phase 1 comprises six semi-autonomous projects, namely Boystown, Delf Symphony, Delft 7-9, Joe Slovo, New Rest and various transitional residential areas.

New Rest is situated in Gugulethu township, to the south of the N2, approximately five kilometres from Cape Town International Airport and 20 kilometres from Cape Town CBD. Previous to the N2 Gateway project this area was an informal settlement serviced with overhead electricity, communal water tapes, and sewerage was taken care of by the ‘bucket system’.  Access to shacks was via disjointed sand tracks and footpaths. The project involved the in-situ upgrading of just over 15 hectares of land on which there were 1 300 informal dwellings. To date 662 fully-subsidised houses have been built out of a targeted 710. An additional 445 contractor-built or People’s Housing Process houses are being built alongside the fully-subsidised houses. The project is almost complete with the informal settlement upgraded including the provision of roads, water and sewerage.  The HDA are responsible for managing the building and handing over of the remaining contractor-built houses.

 

Delft 7-9 is situated on the corners of Hindle, Delft Main and Symphony Way and has delivered 3 695 fully-subsidised houses out of a targeted 4 528. The remaining units will be completed by the HDA by the end of April 2011. Delft Symphony is the only greenfields project in the N2 Gateway and is nestled between Symphony Extension and the existing built-up area of Delft. It is divided into various precincts delivering both fully-subsidised and bonded units. The project has delivered 2 377 fully-subsidised houses with outstanding work still on 1 849 that has been forestalled due to a legal dispute with the contractor. This dispute has been resolved and the contractor is now established on site. The bonded units (1 333) were ceded to First National Bank. This project is due to be completed by the end of October 2012.

 

Boystown is situated in Gugulethu township parallel to the N2. It is approximately two kilometres from Cape Town International Airport and 25 kilometres from Cape Town CBD. This area is an informal settlement established in the 1990s and serviced with overhead electricity, communal water tapes, and sewerage taken care of by the ‘bucket system’.  Access to shacks is by sand tracks and footpaths. The project will involve in-situ upgrading of 20 hectares of land on which there is approximately 1 300 informal dwellings and will include provision of a road network, water and sewerage. The HDA intends to deliver 1 396 houses by the end of November 2012.  

 

The Joe Slovo housing development is situated in Langa township, 12 kilometres from Cape Town next to the N2 highway. The project provided housing for people living in the Joe Slovo informal settlement and backyarders primarily from Langa. The development of the area has been phased with the rental, bonded and fully-subsidised show village now complete. The proposed densities for phase three of the Joe Slovo project are still under review and the fully-subsidised single, double and three-story houses are at the redesign stage. Extensive community consultation forms part of the process. This phase will involve the development of nearly 27 hectares of land. Land rehabilitation is complete on one of the vacant sites and the building of 462 houses has been approved. Work still needs to start on the remaining land currently occupied by shack-dwellers. The end result will be 2 886 fully-subsidised houses accommodating the majority of the existing Joe Slovo informal settlement. The HDA anticipates that phase three will be complete by June 2013.

The N2 Gateway project is a national government housing development initiative driven by the provincial government of the Western Cape with the HDA as its agent. The HDA will manage all aspects of the various projects as described above from planning to procurement, construction to occupation, snag lists to final handover. The overall N2 Gateway programme involves three phases, namely planning, implementation and closing. Depending on the current phase and challenges of the various projects, the HDA will be involved in some or all of these phases. In more detail the HDA will prepare, coordinate, manage and monitor all aspects of the various projects, including but not limited to the following services:

 

• Contract management and oversight

• Project design, feasibility and approval

• Project costs and budgets

• Community liaison and Communications

• Funding applications