As Tsandi grows, so does the number of people looking for a place to call home.
Behind the village’s expanding streets and new developments is a growing demand for residential land, with families, young people and working residents hoping to secure an erf where they can build their future.
Over the past five years, Tsandi Village Council has allocated 529 residential erven, but the demand remains far from satisfied. A total of 1 432 applicants are still on the waiting list for residential land.
Tsandi Village Council chief executive officer Kephas Haitembu said the pressure is being driven by population growth and the increasing demand for housing and accommodation.
“There is an increase in population that is being informed by the demand for more housing and accommodation,” Haitembu said.
He said the changing landscape of the village reflects that demand, with houses and flats increasingly being constructed as residents seek accommodation and working people look for opportunities to own homes.
“There are many construction activities around town of flats and houses that indicate that there is demand for more accommodation and plots for housing, particularly by the working class,” he said.
The council’s land allocations over the past five years have included 95 erven at Extension 6, 320 at Extension 7 and 143 at Extension 12.
While the allocations have opened opportunities for hundreds of residents, the waiting list shows that the need for land continues to outpace what is currently available.
Housing development has also gained momentum through the Shack Dwellers Federation programme at Extension 7.
A total of 81 houses have been completed, while another 239 are under construction, giving more low-income families an opportunity to move into formal homes.
The council is also preparing additional land for future housing development.
Extensions 5 and 10 are planned for development through joint ventures between the council and private investors. Extension 10 is expected to comprise 168 residential erven, alongside plans for houses that potential buyers would be able to afford after an affordability assessment.
Haitembu said the council has been working to create new townships and make land available, but the process is being slowed by the cost of providing essential services.
“The main challenge delaying land servicing is limited funding from central government,” he said.
For a residential area to become a functioning neighbourhood, land must be supported by services such as water, electricity, sewerage and roads. The council therefore faces the added challenge of finding capital to service new extensions before they can accommodate more residents.
Despite these constraints, Haitembu said Tsandi has planned sufficient townships to respond to the current demand for housing.
The council’s plans also include affordable housing through alternative building technology, which it says could help provide homes for low- and ultra-low-income earners at a more affordable cost.
For the thousands of people seeking a place in Tsandi, however, the challenge remains immediate: getting access to land on which a home can be built.
The village is expanding, but its housing story is ultimately about the people trying to keep up with that growth families looking for stability, young residents hoping to own their first home and working people wanting to turn their income and housing subsidies into a permanent address.
With 1 432 applicants still waiting for residential land, the race for a place to call home is likely to remain one of Tsandi’s biggest development priorities as the village enters its next phase of growth.
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