Deputy Cooperative Governance Minister, Obed Bapela, says the department will use the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) to help curb challenges faced by the residents of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg.
Bapela was speaking at the Alexandra Inquiry, in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The inquiry – convened by the Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Public Protector, is investigating the socio-economic conditions in the township.
The inquiry follows a spate of protests in the township earlier this year. Bapela says the IUDF will help manage urbanisation and help achieve economic development and improve living conditions for the residents.
“The challenges experienced by the residents of Alexandra are mostly of rapid urbanisation. As a result, governance responds to address the challenges of the residents of Alexandra and needs to be located within the framework of our policy in practise. This means that Alexandra provides an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the implementation of the IUDF. The plan must deliver radical special transformation and consolidation of the greater Alexandra area. The assessment and development feasibility of informal settlements in and around Alexandra has been completed and the plans are being prepared – although the Marlboro informal settlement is outstanding due to unrest and safety concerns for fieldworkers.”
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