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Bringing Cornubia to the Community

Bringing Cornubia to the Community

Date: 2014-10-24
Among a handful of pilot integrated human settlement developments nationally, Cornubia embodies public private partnership between the government and Tongaat Hulett.

The human settlement component of Cornubia involves some 15, 000 housing units for indigent beneficiaries. Being closer to economic participation opportunities does not guarantee participation without skills and workforce preparation interventions. Social Sustainability and Innovation Programme (SSIP) is a customised programmed coordinated through a mixed Incubation and Empowerment Centre. The Centre coordinates inputs from various stakeholders, public and private, aimed at facilitating social cohesion and economic participation by housing beneficiaries and neighbouring communities.

Underpinning the initiative, and gaining momentum, is the zero unemployment drive. According to Tongaat Hulett corporate director Bongani Gumede, this incorporates two initiatives - community organization as a prerequisite for empowerment. Detailed social demographic and skills live database is used as a base tool for planning. "We design jobs around the capacity people have rather than design jobs for skills we don't have," says Gumede

Target population segments are Households without Income, Youth, Women and Disabled. Key opportunity areas are;
  • Open Space environmental restoration, landscaping nursery and commercial vegetable farming, through Cooperatives.
  •  Workforce preparation for construction and various industrial and commercial as well as private home maintenance services work opportunities. Through database of labour and opportunities we facilitate linkages through Jobs Link centre.
  • Back to School initiative facilitate access to education at all levels from pre-school to tertiary levels.

"Cornubia comprises 400 hectares of open space potentially hiding criminals; becoming a dumping zone; promoting new informal settlements; being fire hazards and promulgating alien and invasive plant growth polluting the oHlange River catchment. Managing the open space provides local employment," he says.

"Rehabilitating and maintaining the oHlange River catchment effectively promotes income security, which empowers residents to meet their financial needs, rather than depend of social grants only."

Gumede says community members work an eight-hour day and, in line with (Cornubia) integrated development philosophy of bringing work to within walking distance of human settlements.

Launched a year ago, the Blackburn informal settlement pilot project trains local community members to grow vegetables later sold to open market including local community. Tongaat had originally approached the local counsellor to work with the community and a co-operative was formed to train them in perma-culture. Gumede says intern Filike Sibaya, who holds a diploma in agriculture, was mentoring community members on ideal growth methods.

Tongaat Hulett and eThekwini Municipality Business Support unit, purchased the original infrastructure, equipment and pilot gardens seedlings, and currently vegetables are harvested monthly and the funds deposited in a fund for reinvestment. "Social Sustainability and Innovation Programme philosophy remains ensuring every community is organised and members meaningfully engaged in social development and economic participation work for an inclusive approach to growth and development," Gumede says.