A FEASIBILITY study to assess the viability of building flats in the Randburg area to provide people with accommodation closer to their work, has been launched, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council said yesterday.

The council said the project was still in its planning stage, although land had already been identified where the flats for people earning from about R2000 a month could be built.

Assistant director of housing at the council, Fazel Areff, said funding for the project was made available by the national housing department and additional expenditures would be covered by the company awarded the tender.

He said the rationale behind the project was to change 'the apartheid system in which people stayed on the outskirts of urban areas and travelled great distances to work'. We want to change the situation where people spend most of their salaries on transport.'

He denied claims that the flats were aimed at accommodating domestic workers, saying that anyone qualifying for a house in terms of Government's social housing policy would be considered.

Areff said he could not say how many units would be built, but that two and three -storey buildings were being considered. The flats would be rented or occupied on a rent-to-buy basis.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said it welcomed the move as it would improve worker's standard and quality of life .

'This will raise the real wage of workers as they will be spending less money on transport,' said Cosatu spokesman Vukani Mde.

Laurette van Zijl, convenor of the Democratic Alliance housing focus group, said while the party understood that housing was important, the land identified by the council was not suitable as one site was a wetland and the other was surrounded by high rise buildings with no community amenities on site.