What is the Evaton Renewal Project?

The Evaton Renewal Project is a project of government aimed at “renewing” or regenerating Evaton, to improve the quality of life of the Evaton community. The priority areas of this project include: the development of infrastructure, such as the resurfacing of roads and building of pavements; the development of the local economy through job creation and Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise (SMME) projects, like grass-cutting and the setting up of vegetable gardens and agriculture projects; and social upliftment through the upgrading of dilapidated houses, providing community halls and municipal offices with better facilities to service the community of Evaton.

The Evaton renewal Project is a partnership of various stakeholders: the Evaton community, the Evaton Development Forum, the Emfuleni Municipality , the Sedibeng District Municipality , the Gauteng Department of Housing and other provincial and national government departments, as well as private sector businesses.

Who is involved?

The Gauteng Department of Housing is leading the project, representing the provincial government. The department, however, manages this project jointly with the Sedibeng District Municipality and the Emfuleni Local Municipality .

The Evaton Renewal Project touches on other areas outside housing, as a result the input of the following departments, which are important stakeholders in the Evaton Renewal Project:

• Department of Roads and Public works
• Department of Education
• Department of Health
• Department of sports and recreation
• Department of agriculture and Environment
• Land Affairs, and others

The main customer for this project is the community of Evaton. The project therefore takes into consideration the broader participation of the Evaton Community in delivering this project.

Community Structures   The Role of the Evaton Development Forum (EDF) To monitor implementation and progress of the project Represent the community with regard to the projects, relaying information to project coordinators and community structures To encourage public buy-in and participation Resolving disputes between the community and projects, through the affiliates of EDF e.g. Ward Councilors Maintain good relationships with councilors and all other stakeholders To schedule regular sectoral meetings in consultation with councilor   The Role of the Community Liaison Officers (CLO's) Ensure effective communication to communities & community structures Disseminate information to ward councilors Provide support and perform liaison between contractors and the community Facilitate active participation & cooperation by the community & its structures (mobilization) Liaise between the ERP project and the community Review ongoing challenges and submit improvement proposals to the project implementation team   The Role of the Ward Councilors To inform the community about the projects and the progress through public meetings To forge a stronger relationship with the communities they serve, through public meetings To ensure involvement of the municipality Ensure Alignment of ward based IDP's Relationship building of all stakeholders, as a support function Support integrated programmes, support roll out in inter sectoral programmes   The Role of the Community Development Workers (CDW's) To forge stronger relationships with the communities they serve, by means of one on one interaction Support councilors in public meetings Assist in information dissemination to the community, on a one on one action Assist the ward councilors in forging relationships and in the dissemination of information through public meetings

Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) play an important role in the developmental process of the Evaton Renewal Project (ERP). They are there to advise and support the community of Evaton.

According to Boisanie (Boyzi) Khumalo, the ERP Chief Community Liaison Officer, the role of the CLOs is to liaise with the community and inform them about the ERP activities and opportunities. “We are also active in encouraging Evaton stand owners to sell their stands to ERP,” he said. Some problems faced by the community include youth development and unemployment. “I would like to encourage the residents of Evaton to contact us at anytime, for information about the ERP or even just to talk about a problem in your area. We are at your service,” said Khumalo.

Community Liaison Officers of the Evaton Renewal Project

Where is the Evaton Renewal Project?

The Evaton Renewal Project is located in the southern extreme of the Gauteng Province (Figure 1). It is located within the Emfuleni Municipality and is connected to Johannesburg to the north and Vanderbjilpark in the south. This area accesses these urban centres via a well-developed major transportation network, including the Golden Highway and the Johannesburg-Vanderbjilpark commuter railway line.

The areas immediately surrounding Evaton are Sebokeng to the south and the south-east, Evaton West to the west, Lakeside and Stretford to the north, Eatonside to the south east, and Ironsyde to the east. The geographic extent of Evaton is in the order of (approximately) 25 km2, and the extent of its immediate surrounds is in the order of 75 km2. This constitutes a very small component of the local and district municipality areas, which covers 1300 km2 and 4630 km2 respectively.

Regarding the general physical environment, the area is predominantly residential, although community facilities and localised economic amenities are scattered throughout the area. The Rietspruit River traverses Evaton. From the southwest, it forks northwards, aswell as in a north-easterly direction. The Rietspruit creates large tracts of largely undeveloped, open space through the Evaton area. Figure 2 presents an aerial photograph depicting the spatial structure of Evaton.

Figure 1: Study Aerial Locality

Figure 2: Aerial Photograph

Policy Background

In 1996 the Gauteng Province prepared a provincial development plan known as the Gauteng Spatial Development Framework (GSDF). The Plan aims to guide the growth and development in accordance with the principles of the Development Facilitations Act (DFA) and the Reconstruction and Development Act (RDP)

The Broad Policy guidelines adopted pertinent to Urban Regeneration are as follows:

• To contain Urban Sprawl, encourage infill and densification
• To enhance transportation
• To maximize the economic energy generated by the transport routes while integrating lower income areas into the functioning of central urban area.
• To integrate low income areas by promoting transportation and land use linkages
• To integrate residential and economic development
• To uplift areas of economic decline

In substantiation to the above, the Minister of housing in 2005 prepared the breaking new ground framework emphasizing the need to move away from housing only, and to approach the more holistic development of human settlements, including the provision of social and economic infrastructure. In technical terms, this holistic approach means ensuring:

• Integrated planning & development
• Rationalising land use
• Managing open space & densifying in-fills
• Well-structured road networks & effective local transport
• Adequate and decent houses
• Adequate social infrastructure
• Redeveloping/upgrading dilapidated infrastructure
• Preserving local characteristics
• Enhancing townscapes

In 2004, Evaton was chosen as one of the sites that required regeneration. Evaton has been selected by the provincial government mainly because it symbolises the reality of Black Townships with low economic activity, a disjointed spatial plan and deteriorated municipal services.

What is Urban Renewal?

In the South African context, Urban Renewal can be defined as:

Restructuring the urban form to ensure equal access to social, economic and environmental opportunities for all, that rural areas, towns and urban centres develop in support of each other (not at the cost of each other), that all people are empowered uplifted and quality of life improved, all aimed at achieving a sustainable, integrated, efficient urban area.

Therefore, Urban Renewal means to enhance an identified area to be:

• Sustainable
• Efficient
• Integrated, and
• Promote a good quality of life.

Establishing or “Renewing” communities/ cities/ districts/ targeted areas to be sustainable, efficient, integrated and provide a good quality of life, one has to ensure that Urban Renewal provides for a large spectrum of needs of the South African community. These needs include items such as housing, health, environment, safety & security, access to opportunities, access to employment, social facilities & infrastructure, economic infrastructure, services and transport infrastructure.

This definition is reinforced by the purpose of Urban Renewal and Human Settlement Redevelopment, which reads:

“The Urban Renewal Programme focuses on integrated development of urban communities at scale, to cultivate sustainable local economies” with the intent of “poverty alleviation, creating a caring and responsive government, reducing unemployment, creating a better life for all and integrated, high impact, time- bound, targeted intervention.”

(Extract from Department of Housing: Urban Renewal Project Strategy Plan)
[This document will soon be made available in the Media Documents Section]

The focus of the Department of Housing Urban Renewal Project is therefore on integrated redevelopment of urban communities at scale, aimed at cultivating sustainable local economies with the purpose of:

• alleviating poverty
• creating a caring and responsive government
• reducing unemployment
• creating a better life for all
• integrated, high impact, time bound, targeted intervention.