Change is coming to Orange Farm

With help from its partners, the City is working towards a vision of Orange Farm as a sustainable, economically viable town and a desirable place to live.
REGION G – the Deep South of Joburg – is hard at work improving itself, with the majority of developments taking place in Orange Farm.

Region G director Mlamleli BelotRegion G director Mlamleli BelotThese include The Ridge Walk, road construction and widening, Pikitup Garden Refuse Project, attenuation pond and storm water drainage, school initiatives, and a town square mall.

The region has two distinct areas, divided for developmental purposes: greater Ennerdale, Lenasia, Eldorado Park and Protea are in the north; Orange Farm and Weilers Farm (Kanana Park) lie in the south.

Regional director, Mlamleli Belot, says: “Orange Farm is unique among other South African community settlements in many ways. Its people are particularly vibrant, resilient and resourceful, with a high level of political mobalisation.”

Located 42 kilometres south of the CBD, Orange Farm has flourished to become the biggest and most populous informal settlement in the country. It is also one of Joburg’s most geographically isolated communities.

“Although Orange Farm is well known for its high levels of poverty and unemployment, we are hopeful that the plans being implemented by the City will tackle these serious issues in a practical and successful way. This region has huge economic potential which has, up until recently, been largely unexplored,” he explains.

Yet he also acknowledges that the township remains “challenged by the magnitude of needs, such as housing, infrastructure and economic stimulation”.

Lenasia
Its origins can be attributed to two main factors: the first was the apartheid legislation that created an Indian residential area in the northern part of the region, Lenasia; the second was the huge influx of people seeking work in Joburg, which resulted in the spontaneous development of informal settlements, especially in the south.

A street scene in LenasiaA street scene in LenasiaThe first resident moved into the area in 1988 after the old Transvaal Provincial Administration expropriated land from local farmers for township development. This land was originally used for citrus cultivation, giving the township its picturesque name.

Most of the early settlers came from Weilers Farm, a maize and cattle farm that belonged to the Weiler brothers, in the Grasmere area.

Today, the majority of the houses in Orange Farm are still galvanised iron shacks, constructed between the highest number of gravel roads in the country. From an estimated 3 000 residents in the late 1980s, the population has grown to more than 380 000 families.

It is a diverse group of people who speak an assortment of languages, with Zulu and Southern Sotho predominating. The majority of the population falls in the 20- to 40-year-old age group.

Orange Farm has six extensions – 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 – and all have the necessary services, such as electricity, metered water, sanitation and a sewage system.

Dormitory town
Geographically displaced from the business districts of greater Joburg, Orange Farm is largely a marginalised dormitory residential area. With no economic base of its own, it is dependent on Joburg.

The distance increases the length of the work day – and travelling costs. The community also struggles with serious social problems such as crime, HIV and Aids, and alcoholism, which all ultimately reduce quality of life.

Orange Farm Regional parkThe Orange Farm Regional parkAccording to the City, it is trying to realise a specific vision for the area and turn it into an integral part of greater Joburg as a viable and sustainable environment. It is not the only place Joburg is working: area-based regeneration of townships is a City priority.

In partnership with the private sector, it has rolled out several upliftment initiatives in Orange Farm. Today there is a modern library, some tarred roads, permanent houses in the proclaimed area, low cost housing, four clinics, an information and skills development centre with internet access, a multi-purpose community centre and some on-site government offices such as the Department of Health, Social Development, Home Affairs, Housing and Transport, and a police station.

Belot says “we will continue to pursue our vision of seeing Orange Farm transformed into a fully fledged city, bustling with economic growth and development. We want to see people having access to shopping centres, libraries, internet cafes, educational facilities and modern and efficient transport options.

“We want to develop Orange Farm to become socially cohesive enough to attract middle and high income residents.”