By Sipho Masondo

Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Nondumiso Maphazi heralded a new dawn for Helenvale this week when she launched a R78-million project to give the area a much- needed facelift.

The Helenvale Urban Renewal Project (Hurp) will be driven by the directorate of strategic projects in her office.

The project, launched at the Helenvale Primary School on Tuesday, was attended by Public Works MEC Christian Martin and former Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, and more than 2 000 residents.

Helenvale councillor Pieter Hermans said: “The community has been waiting for such a day for a long time.”

The area was earmarked for urban renewal last year following a visit by President Thabo Mbeki.

After hearing of residents‘ misery and seeing the decay, poverty and lack of services, Mbeki asked the municipality to prioritise the area for urban development.

Of the R78-million, only R2- million came from municipal coffers. The rest came from the national government.

Helenvale is a product of apartheid removals. Residents were dumped there after being forcibly removed from other areas during apartheid.

Renewal project director Debbie Hendricks said of the population of about 25  000, 75% were unemployed.

“Only 6% have matric. But we need to make a scientific analysis of the area to fully understand the dynamics at play,” she said.

A study of projects that could be adopted to transform the area was under way.

“When we finish the plan next year, we will come up with a business plan which we will implement in five years,” Hendricks said.

Housing, crime and social development programmes needed urgent attention.

“It‘s a challenge, but it is long overdue,” she said, adding that they would also work hard to shed the area of its image as a “no-go zone”.

She said a social compact structure had been established to ensure the project included everyone.

Maphazi said whatever projects were conceived would have to address poverty, services, housing, health, education, employment, small businesses and infrastructure improvement.

“We can‘t have a situation in which 24 people live in one house. There is no privacy,” she said.

“We have to accept that there is drug abuse in the area. How do we take our kids away from the drugs? What do we do in an area where you are not safe even in your own house?”

Martin said Helenvale was an extraordinary place which needed extraordinary teachers, and community and religious leaders.

The Herald