Bellavista

Located in the south of Johannesburg, Bellavista Housing Estate is the City of Johannesburg’s largest council rental housing estate, with 792 units. When JOSHCO took control of the estate in July 2005, as a pilot facilities management project, the estate was badly neglected, many of the buildings were not habitable and systems were not sufficiently structured to bill occupants or collect rentals.

Council estates such as Bellavista were built in the 1970s and 1980s with the purpose of housing poor whites, including single mothers who required social support. Units were rented at a nominal rate. Although government was responsible for maintaining the estates, the reality was that most of them soon fell into disrepair and became dirty and unsafe slums. When racial exclusivity was abandoned in 1994, housing estates became open to all people in need of housing support and the City of Johannesburg assumed responsibility for the Bellavista Housing Estate.

JOSHCO invested R12 million on refurbishing the homes in the estate to an acceptable, habitable condition and standard. The repairs included replacing roofs, security gates, painting, the installation of a new palisade fence along the boundary walls, and lighting in hallways and balconies. A fulltime maintenance contractor was appointed to affect ongoing repairs. Currently a mixed group of people who receive social grants, pensioners as well as unemployed and salaried people who reside at Bellavista.

Today the estate consists of tenants who are liable for monthly rentals and owners who are responsible for levy payments. One of JOSHCO’s biggest challenges was to replace the ethos of civil disobedience with regularised management systems, the turnaround has been very successful. Bellavista is now a thriving and healthy community compared to what it is was when JOSHCO assumed responsibility. Residents are empowered and JOSHCO has reinstated a degree of civic pride.