Question NW1386 to the Minister of Public Works
05 June 2017 - NW1386
Van der Westhuizen, Mr AP to ask the Minister of Public Works
(1) Which government department or entity is currently (a) the owner of the land and (b) responsible for the management of the human settlements of former forestry workers in the Jonkershoek Valley outside Stellenbosch; (2) is there a maintenance plan and budget for the maintenance of the general infrastructure and houses of these settlements; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what (a) is the total number of houses and (b) amount has been spent on the maintenance and/or replacement of the (i) infrastructure and (ii) houses in the specified area in the past three financial years; (4) (a) what are his department’s plans regarding the future of these properties and its inhabitants and (b) do these plans include the transfer of ownership to another entity or government department; (5) what contribution does his department intend to make towards the upgrading of the infrastructure and/or the maintenance of the settlements in the area before such transfers?
Reply:
1. a) The National Department of Public Works is the custodian of the Jonkershoek Forest Reserve Farm 352 and the unregistered portion 4 also known as “Op-die-Bult Jonkershoek”
(b) The National Department of Public Works is currently negotiating with the Stellenbosch Municipality to assume responsibility for the human settlement of former forest workers by means of the disposal of the property to that municipality.
(2) No, currently there are no funds available for the maintenance of the general infrastructure and houses of the settlement, hence negotiations with the
Stellenbosch Municipality to assume responsibility for the settlement.
(3) (a) 18 formal structures have been confirmed at Op-die-Bult, with 123 households recorded in the broader Jonkerhoek Mixed Use Precinct. These
figures are from the time when the property was returned to Department by the South African Forestry Company Limited (SAFCOL) acting on behalf of
the then Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
(b) (i) No funds have been spent on the infrastructure
(b) (ii) No funds have been spent on the houses
(4) (a) The Department is currently negotiating with the Stellenbosch municipalityto take over the properties together with their inhabitants as it is best-placed to provide appropriate standards of human settlement
(b) Yes, it is envisaged that the Department will hand over the properties to the Stellenbosch Municipality for management of the human settlement according to prescribed standards.
(5) The National Department of Public Works aims to transfer the land to the Stellenbosch Municipality. Other relevant Departments e.g. Department of
Human Settlements, COGTA, Department of Rural Development etc. will then be drawn in as an intergovernmental team to assist with housing and
infrastructure in formalising the settlement in terms of their core function.