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Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in partnership with Statistics South Africa will conduct a registration drive for backyard shack dwellers across the city from November.
Municipality spokesperson, Kupido Baron, says this follows a two day training programming in which selected unemployed residents were trained to conduct a credible and quality data capturing service.
Baron says the registration drive will include a head count of all the backyard shack dwellers in the city which will determine the exact number of people who are still in need of low cost housing.
He says a pilot phase of the project will kick off in certain wards this year with a full roll-out next year covering the entire Nelson Mandela Bay region.
Baron says Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile, asked residents to exercise cooperation and honesty when approached for information adding that Wayile is also encouraging residents to open their doors to the field workers and to feed them with credible and factual information so that the process can be a worthwhile exercise.
"Our field workers will be given the necessary tools to get the job done, but we will need the participation of the residents to work with them. Give them your assistance so that we can close that gap for corruption and criminal elements in the roll-out of this project," encouraged Mayor Wayile.
Mayor Wayile also announced that the Municipality was making progress in its pursuance of a Level 3 accreditation for housing delivery.
This status will mean that the national funding allocated for housing development in Nelson Mandela Bay will bypass the Provincial Department of Human Settlements and be directed straight to the NMBM, thus making it easier for the Municipality to deliver on its promise to provide decent housing.
Portfolio Chairperson for Human Settlements, Cllr Fikile Desi, said the backyard shack dwellers information collection drive will assist the various spheres of government to adequately plan and allocate the necessary funding according to the needs of the citizens of Nelson Mandela Bay.
