Chapter 11 - Sedibeng District Municipality

The key issues identified through the Situational Analysis w ere:
• The study area represents urban complexes w hich are marginalised in terms
of the provincial context. Economic activity generally declines tow ards the
west and the south of the Province, w here these areas are located.
• The central part of the study area, in particular the Orange Farm complex,
comprises large informal and partially formalised areas that have virtually no
economic base and are therefore highly dependent on the City of
Johannesburg. Living conditions in this area are generally poor w ith high
levels of poverty and social blight.
• The w estern part of the study area comprises primary urban centres, w hich
were developed as part of the gold rush era, with secondary urban centres
developed as dormitory residential areas for the former. There are also large
informal settlements in the area.
• The southern part of the study area includes Emfuleni and Sedibeng, w hich
are inundated w ith informal settlements. While the economy of the area used
to be strong the steel industry has seen steady decline in recent years and this
is impacting on the social status of the all of the communities.
• The urban areas in the central part of the study area are fragmented, mainly
due to the follow ing physical features:
o The KlipRiver w hich separates Soweto and Lenasia;
o The Gatsrand w hich separates Lenasia from Lenasia South and
Ennerdale;
o Steep contours w hich separate Lenasia South/Ennerdale and Finetow n
from the Orange Farm complex. These contours prohibit the southwestern
expansion of Ennerdale and Finetow n.
o
o
Steep contours w hich isolate Poortje;
The N1 freew ay, Golden Highw ay and Rietspruit w hich separate
Kanana Park/Sw eetw aters/Thulamtw ana from the Orange Far m
complex.
• The urban areas to the south are also highly fragmented. Although Sebokeng
and Orange Farm fall in separate municipal areas, they are physically linked
and form one major low -income residential area. Both areas are removed
from economic opportunities and basic regional services. The low-income
settlement areas of the south are concentrated around Vanderbijlpark and
Vereeniging, w hich once were important economic areas.
• Service provision in the entire study area is constrained, not alw ays physically
but also financially. The need for development is tremendous, yet the funds to
make such development happen are not alw ays available.
• There are some positive economic indications as some retail investments
have occurred in these marginalised areas in recent years. These
developments are important for the residents and to establish a greater sense
of urban sustainability.
Follow ing from the Situational Analysis and extensive discussions and interviews w ith
the various local municipalities, as w ell as the Gauteng Department of Housing and
the respective Professional Regional Teams (PRTs), several potential areas hav e
been identified w ithin the study area to cater for future housing demand. A total of 55
such areas have been identified and they are show n on FIGURE 6.12.
SDM DITP, 2008 to 2013 89 31 Aug 2010