Simelane visits abandoned Tembisa Ext 25 Housing Project, vows renewal

By Johnathan Paoli

Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, on Tuesday visited the long-abandoned Tembisa Extension 25 Mega Housing Project, which has been stalled since 2017 due to persistent challenges including vandalism and the takeover of the site by construction mafias.

During her visit, Simelane reiterated the government’s commitment to reviving the R400 million project.

“The growth of informal settlements and backyard dwellings reflects the vast number of people still in need of housing. That’s why we want to complete this project and hand it over to the residents,” Simelane said.

“We can’t give a definite timeline yet, but I’m hopeful that within the next 14 days, we’ll have a clear plan of action.”

Earlier this year, the minister announced that the department would prioritise completion of 271 blocked housing projects and nine distressed social housing developments, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, North West, and Gauteng—where about 40 projects remain