By Ntokozo Nkambule
The Municipal Council of Mbabane has officially declared Malagwane & Mvakwelitje as formal townships.
The upgrading of the two townships follows the Municipality’s Urban Development Programme (UDP) where they seek to upgrade nine (9) informal settlements into formal settlements.
PLOT PRICES MODELS
This was revealed by the Council’s Chief Planning Officer Wandile Thwala during an engagement with local media publications.
He said they are now in the process of allocating the plots to the beneficiaries, who are the people that currently reside in the stated townships. Thwala observed that the plots will be based on the infrastructure costs incurred by the Municipality as this project will be fully funded by them, not the government.
He said the cost of the plots will be strictly for the infrastructure as this is not a profit-making project.
Furthermore, Thwala said as a Municipality they have come up with different cost structures for the plot beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries will be given five years to pay off their respective plot costs. He reiterated that they have done studies to understand the affordability of the people residing in the areas. Also, worth noting is that the plot prices aren’t yet final, but are estimates.