Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
30 July 2024 | 12:00 p.m. SAST
1-minute read

Image: The Citizen

Mlungisi Mabaso, in his recent appointment as Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements in the city of Johannesburg, has pledged to alleviate the housing dilemma by introducing programmes to improve living conditions in the city.

As the city continues to witness a proliferation of informal settlements and hostels that are progressively deteriorating, some applicants have been awaiting housing allocation for 30 years.

Mabaso, who is the former MMC for Johannesburg Housing, said he will draw on previous models to prioritise formalising, rehabilitating, decongesting and providing permanent services to informal settlements and hostels.

The launch of the housing mega-project in the city is a step in the right direction to providing affordable settlements, particularly for people working in the city who currently live on the outskirts and have high transport costs.

“We are going to move with speed in the implementation so that we are able to address the issue of human settlements,” MMC Mabaso said.

The MMC said anti-corruption efforts will continue unabated, given the department’s continuous challenges with fraud and corruption. This includes raising awareness among residents about social media scams and bribery demands from officials. Plans to eradicate corruption also include working with law enforcement agencies to follow up on pending corruption cases.

“We’ll follow up on those cases because we must leave no stone unturned when it comes to rooting out corruption,” MMC Mabaso said.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Habib Bobat.