JG Afrika successfully relocated families to accommodate the extensive upgrade to the R61 from All Saints to Baziya in the Eastern Cape.
Our team liaised with affected families and located and negotiated available land with tribal leaders. This is in addition to designing and supervising the construction of the six new houses.
The block infill structures with zinc-sheet roofing were completed within two months. They are 72 m2 in size and have two or three rooms, including a kitchen, lounge area and bedroom.
Diesel generators were installed at those houses that are located in areas that do not have access to grid electricity.
The construction of the houses was undertaken by emerging contractors in the area and ensured that they gained as much experience as possible from working on this project.
JG Afrika also decided to implement a different payment model to assist them in completing the houses on time and quality. They were paid in three phases: upon completion of the floor level, roof structure and the various works thereafter.
People were mainly relocated from one side of the road to the other. There was at least one instance where a family had to be moved from Baziya to Mthatha.
Land was accessed in the shortest time possible, even though in some instances extensive negotiations with traditional leaders were required.
The relocation of ancestral graves was completed early in 2019. By this time, all of the families had been successfully resettled in their new houses.