Asimile Siyaqhuba - Five Years of Advancement Towards Providing Human Settlements

 

ASIMILE SIYAQHUBA – FIVE YEARS OF ADVANCEMENT TOWARDS PROVIDING HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Significant gains have been made in the City to provide decent housing and upgrade living environments. To highlight these transformative efforts that have shaped service delivery during the 2021-2026 term of office, the City is rolling out the Five-Year Service Delivery Milestones campaign under the theme: Asimile Siyaqhuba: Resilience Through Adversity.

The spotlight is on housing delivery where significant progress has been achieved by the Human Settlements Directorate over the past five years. This reflects a strong commitment to expanding access to dignified housing, upgrading living environments, and improving the overall quality of life for residents.

During this period, the directorate issued 5 725 title deeds, enabling thousands of families to secure legal ownership and strengthen their generational wealth prospects. Over the same five-year period, the Municipality continued its programme of improving existing housing infrastructure. A total of 1 194 pre-1994 housing units were upgraded and refurbished to ensure safety, structural integrity, and improved living conditions for long-standing communities. The directorate further expanded access to affordable housing through the delivery of 10 359 rental and breaking new ground units, contributing substantially to meeting the demand for formal housing within the City.

In addition, the directorate delivered 669 units through the upgrading and refurbishment of community residential units and the construction of new family units within existing hostels, strengthening the Municipality’s commitment to upgrading high-density living environments.

Efforts to improve informal settlements also advanced significantly, with 40 777 households receiving incremental services such as roads, footpaths, and stormwater controls, ensuring safer, more accessible, and more resilient living conditions.

To further support vulnerable households, the Municipality allocated 11 702 new fully subsidised housing units over the past five years, assisting thousands of qualifying beneficiaries with secure access to formal shelter. Altogether, the Human Settlements Directorate successfully created 20 839 housing opportunities during this period, marking a substantial contribution to addressing housing needs across eThekwini. These achievements represent the Municipality’s continued dedication to delivering sustainable human settlements, strengthening community resilience, and enhancing the dignity of residents.