Hankey houses back on track

The construction of RDP houses at Hankey is back on track, with work having started on the installation of bulk infrastructure for the houses.

Three water and sewerage projects, valued at almost R20-million, got underway at the town between April and June.

Kouga Executive Mayor Booi Koerat said the Kouga Council was very excited that it had succeeded in unblocking the much-needed housing development.

“When we came into office in 2011, we learnt that there wasn’t sufficient bulk infrastructure to build the houses at Hankey. We’ve been working closely with the Department of Human Settlements over the past three years to secure funding for the required infrastructure. The three projects are the result of those efforts,” he explained.

The projects cater for the water and sewerage requirements of the housing development. A total of 990 units will be built as part of the municipality’s commitment to eradicate informal housing and better the lives of residents.

The first of the infrastructure projects is the augmentation of the waste water treatment works. Work started in April and is expected to be completed within seven months. The cost of the project is R6-million.

The second project is the augmentation of the sewerage pump station at a cost of R4,2-million. Work also started in April and is expected to be completed within six months.

The last of the projects is the construction of a new water reservoir and supply line at a cost of almost R9-million. The contractor moved on site last week and is expected to complete the work within six months.

The Mayor said the Department of Human Settlements was busy finalising the procurement of a contractor to build the 990 top structures (the actual houses) while the municipality was finalising the list of beneficiaries for submission to the department.