The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) opened the 184-unit, Phase 3 of the Riverside View affordable housing development in Diepsloot, west of Midrand and north of the City's centre, this week.

Monthly rental fees for the units, developed by the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco), range from R1 200 for bachelor units to R2 500 for two-bedroom units, thereby catering to a diverse range of residents.

The units are equipped with modern kitchens, 24-hour closed-circuit television surveillance and biometric access control.

“It is important to provide secure and affordable housing. This development is a step towards building strong family structures and creating safe environments for our children,” said CoJ Mayor Dada Morero at the launch on December 11.

The CoJ received more than 30 000 applications for the 184 units built in Phase 3. CoJ will continue investing in affordable housing to meet the growing demand, and Phase 4 will add 701 more units to the development, said CoJ Human Settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso.

“We were able to open these units just before Christmas, which is the best gift that we can give to the residents of Johannesburg.

“We believe they will honour their monthly rental so that we are able to invest to future developments. The collection of rent is for Joshco to self-sustain and invest in future development, and thereby enabling us to accommodate other residents that are still in need of this decent accommodation,” he said.

The residential units also included ecofriendly features, namely energy-efficient solar geysers, water meters, prepaid electricity, and rainwater-harvesting systems. The development is also well located, and residents have easy access to public transportation, schools, shopping malls and other amenities, the CoJ said.

Beneficiaries were urged to maintain their new homes and avoid degrading their living spaces.

“Poverty and being poor are not and cannot be synonymous with filthiness. If we live in filthy spaces, we are undermining and degrading ourselves as Africans. We should never allow this to happen in this property,” Morero encouraged residents.