Four years and R97m later, housing meant to de-densify Alexandra is still not in use

In July 2020, the City of Johannesburg earmarked a Transitional Relocation Area (TRA) to ease congestion in Alexandra’s Setswetla informal settlement during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MMC for human settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, had instructed his department to urgently find solutions that would help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in highly congested areas such as Alexandra, and 1,600 people were meant to be housed in converted shipping containers.

The belongings of evicted Alexandra container housing families on 19 February 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)

“The solution identified to de-densify these areas was the development of new Transitional Relocation Areas (TRAs) using multi-stacked shipping containers and prefabricated structures,” said City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane.

The city intended to complete the Alexandra project within three months of its inception, but years later, after R97-million was spent, the only occupants have been families who lived there illegally.

Read more: Overpopulated Alexandra to benefit from temporary housing project

In February, more than 50 people were evicted after the city obtained a court order that they had illegally occupied the containers. Some then erected structures outside the property.

“I was evicted in February with my family of 15. We don’t know why we cannot stay if the containers were meant for the people of Alexandra. After we were evicted we returned to our tiny two-room shack where we hardly all fit in,” said Brenda Shange.

Another Alexandra resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I was also evicted in February. We had moved into the containers because we are too many for our small shack. We were staying rent-free until the day we were evicted.”

Evicted Alexandra, Johannesburg, families stranded on the streets on 19 February 2024. Last week, EFF councillor Moshe Mphahlele was fatally shot in Alexandra when the police and security guards dispersed a crowd protesting against the eviction of people who had illegally occupied the containers. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)

Alexandra resident Agnes Ntuli said: “That place is now completed but we cannot move in and we do not know why. I heard the security guards were chased away on Wednesday [7 August]. The city can avoid all the clashes if they can immediately allocate, but we are all waiting to see what criteria will be used in allocating the containers because as you can see, we all need houses.”

Several residents told Daily Maverick they would occupy the containers until they were allocated homes.

Last week, EFF councillor Moshe Mphahlele was fatally shot in Alexandra when the police and security guards dispersed a crowd protesting against the eviction of people who had illegally occupied the containers.

Three other people, including a pregnant woman and a 16-year-old, were shot during the incident.

When asked about the housing issue, the area’s councillor, Deborah Francisco, who recently had a petition launched against her for incompetence, said: “I cannot comment at the moment. All housing matters should be referred to the Department of Housing.”

City spokesperson Modingoane said the reasons for the delays in the project’s completion included:

• Working under Covid-19 restrictions prevented the timeous  sourcing of materials;


• Work stopping due to non-payment;


• Price increases of materials;


• Numsa’s steel strike in 2022, which affected the availability of building materials;


• The community halting construction and requesting clarity on the allocation of the units;


• Work being suspended for almost a year after the Special Investigating Unit said in November 2020 that it was investigating the project; and


• The invasion and vandalising of the site in March 2023 by Alexandra residents. A court order was obtained and the invaders were removed in February after numerous attempts by the SA Police Service and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.

When asked what measures were in place to ensure that the TRA was not invaded again, the city said it had increased the number of security personnel at the site.

“There are also court orders in favour of the city that protect the property from further invasions. The order had provisions for the SAPS and JMPD to remove unlawful invaders,” said Modingoane.

However, the security guards were chased away by angry community members after EFF councillor Mphahlele’s memorial service at the Alex San Kopano Hall last Wednesday. DM